Pokemon Storm Clouds
by dee forty-five
Summary: When two teens from the 'real world' are sucked into the world of pokemon, they realize it's going to be a difficult journey getting home. And what's more: one was turned into a pokemon for the ride!
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 07/09/2008 on deviantART. I'm well aware that this first chapter sucks, in fact it's difficult for me to re-read it without cringing. Nevertheless, if you can manage to force yourself past these first few chapters, the story picks up. ^-^;

***

"Yo, Dude! Hey, wait up! Dude!"

Dan Fawcett, ready to turn the corner on his walk home from school, paused after hearing his best friend Luke's call.

"Would it kill you to call me by name, even once?" He asked sarcastically as his friend tried to straighten his breath.

"You're going…huff…the wrong…huff…way, man…" Luke gasped, doubled over in such a position that his glasses seemed only a few seconds away from slipping off his nose.

"I'm pretty sure my house is in this direction," noted Dan dryly as his friend got up and brushed a hand through his short red hair absentmindedly; this was a habit of Luke's that irritated his family to no end.

"You're not going to your house, you're going to _mine_," Luke said in a cocky voice that still hinted of wheeziness.

"Luke," began Dan exasperatedly, "you're a great guy and all, but this is Friday! The weekend! I got stuff I need to do, important stuff! I don't have time to fool around at your place."

"Ha!" returned his friend with a dramatic air. "No 'stuff' you could possibly think of could _ever_ trump what I've got to show you! Remember that thing I've been working on in my basement?"

"That weird machine you're making that's supposed to play GBA games in 3D?"

"The very one!"

"You're such a nerd, Luke."

"Well, I'll have you know that this 'nerd' finished his project last night and wants _you_ to be there for the maiden voyage!"

"And why exactly is my presence necessary?"

"I'm using your Pokemon Leafgreen cartridge as the test subject!" said Luke as he rummaged through Dan's backpack, fishing out the game from beneath a pile of textbooks.

Waving his newfound prize in front of Dan's irritated face triumphantly, Luke taunted his friend, saying, "The guy who keeps a pokemon game with no system to play it in his backpack twenty-four-seven calls ME a nerd, huh?!"

"Give it back," Dan said with a scowl.

"I'll give it back if you promise to come check it out!"

"Give it back or I'll break your spine," growled Dan. "I'm bigger than you and you know it would only take about three seconds."

"Oh, you say that threat whenever I do _anything_, so I know you don't mean it. Come on, you know you'll love it! You'll finally get to see all your beloved Pokemon in glorious 3D!"

"I can always do that with Battle Revolution."

"Oh, but you and I both know that Battle Revolution sucks! Besides, does Battle Revolution allow you to see Professor Oak in three synthesized dimensions?"

"Not exactly what I'd call a selling point," muttered Dan, changing his walk to the direction of Luke's house, signifying his friend's victory in the argument.

"Oh yeah! I win every time!" cheered Luke, handing his friend back his game.

After walking and making idle chatter for a few minutes, Luke suddenly got a devilish grin on his face and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention, my sister will be especially happy you're coming over."

"Your sister?" asked Dan with incredulity. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Oh, nothing much, she just has a crush on you."

"_MISSY?!_ That's disgusting! Your sister's like what, twelve?"

"Fifteen."

"Well, whatever, that still makes her two years younger than me. What does she see in me, anyways? I've only ever said like two words to her!"

"I honestly don't know," teased Luke. "Maybe it's your hairdo."

Dan scowled as his hand instinctively tried to flatten his hair, as it always did whenever somebody brought it up. Easily Dan's least favorite aspect about his appearance, Dan's unruly brown hair always managed to stay messy and tangled no matter how many attempts would be made to straighten it out with a comb or hairgel.

"You're a jerk, Luke, you know that?" he said with venom.

"Oh, I know full well. And, I BASK in that knowledge," Luke taunted as they arrived at his house.

Luke's parents weren't home, so Luke told his friend to wait in the basement while he called upstairs for his sister.

"HEY, MISSY!" he screamed up the staircase. "I'M GONNA FIRE UP THAT THING I'VE BEEN BUILDING!! WANNA COME CHECK IT OUT?"

She yelled back that she'd be down in a few minutes.

"Does she have to come down?" pleaded Dan, thinking of all the discomfort and awkwardness that would come from being in the same room as a younger teenager with a crush on him.

"Oh, definitely. She wouldn't stop making snide comments about how I was wasting my time and whatnot, so she wouldn't miss a chance to see my failure in action! Or, so she thinks. I'm gonna laugh in her face when my machine works perfectly. Here, hand me that Pokemon game. Oh, and you can help yourself to a can of pop, too, they're in that fridge in the corner."

Dan got out some soda while his friend tinkered with the large machine in the corner.

"Oh yeah," muttered Luke to himself, "If this works out I'm pretty much guaranteed a job at Nintendo."

"That's funny," noted Dan, "I keep finding myself with the thought that if word of this ever got back to Nintendo, they'd hand you your ass on a legal platter."

"Oh, I completely agree," came a feminine voice down the stairs as Missy made her appearance. Luke didn't even glance up or make a snappy comeback, and thanks to what Luke told Dan on their way over to the house, Dan tried his best to avoid eye contact, though he still caught a glimpse of her tall stature and long, dark hair out of the corner of his eye.

"So, brother," noted Missy in a cheerfully mocking tone, "looks like it's finally time for the trial by fire, huh?"

"You may laugh," said Luke with pride, "until you see…THIS!!" And he flipped the switch.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Missy gave a series of barely stifled laughs behind her hand while Dan couldn't help but take a sip of his soda before sarcastically noting, "Nice."

"But," whined Luke, "but…oh! Duh!" He exclaimed suddenly. "I was so excited last night that I took the projector's screen upstairs and decided to clean it! Be right back!"

And with that, he was gone.

"What a dork." Observed Missy as her brother vanished.

"Um, uh, yeah," agreed Dan tentatively, not wanting to get drawn into a conversation with her.

"I can't believe he has nothing better to do than spend his days making a projector and his nights cleaning the stupid parts in anticipation," she continued, railing against her brother.

"Uh-huh," Dan replied, trying--and failing--to make his role in this conversation nonchalant.

"Hey, what's up with you? From what I've seen of you, you're a lot more talkative than this," Missy said curiously as she noticed Dan's odd behavior.

"Well, it's just that, um, well, you're brother told me on the way over here."

"Told you…what, exactly?" she asked with confusion.

"He told me that you have a, um, a crush on me."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Missy said, in a seething voice, "Oh, I'm going to _**kill**_ him."

"Listen," began Dan, "it's okay, it's just--"

"But I DON'T!!" she interrupted.

"You…don't?" he asked in a somewhat hurt manner.

"No, I don't!" she responded exasperatedly. "That two-timing, conniving freak! I can't believe he lied to you and said I have a crush!

"Um," she said, suddenly shifting gears after realizing that she could possibly be dealing Dan's self-esteem a blow, "not that you're not, y'know, handsome or, uh, likeable. It's just that I don't really think that I've ever really felt anything that could really be called, y'know, a crush. But I don't mean that--"

"Yeah, I get it," said Dan, trying to ease the mutual embarrassment, "I should have realized Luke was lying, he does that sort of thing all the time. It's no big deal, really."

"Oh, okay," said Missy with relief and still obvious embarrassment. "Hey," she said, trying to change the conversation, "is that machine still running?"

"Yeah. Do you think it's okay for my game to still be in there? What if it breaks?"

"Oh, Luke," said Missy exasperatedly, shaking her head, "he spends his time making geeky stuff like this, and then forgets the lens and leaves it alone while still running even though it's missing a crucial part. Not to mention he gets his kicks out of telling blatant lies to people and watching their reactions. It's stuff like this that makes me think he's never going to attract any sort of lady as a friend."

Dan had been drinking some pop when he heard this, and couldn't help but laugh, spraying the soda out of his mouth in a guffaw.

"Ex-Excuse me," he said embarrassedly, "I didn't mean that to happen."

"It's no trouble…" began Missy before an odd sizzing sound interrupted her. The two teens turned and looked at the source of the sounds: exposed wiring coming out from the walls, which had been sprayed with soda when Dan had laughed. The wiring was making strange sounds, and Luke's machine was humming and some lights were flickering oddly.

"I think you broke it," said Missy in a nervous voice.

"I didn't mean to!" returned Dan angrily.

However, suddenly the odd sounds stopped as the ceiling light went out, and the refrigerator stopped making its hum. Luke's machine was making more noise than ever.

"It's sucking up the power!" realized Missy.

Suddenly, the machine stopped making noise and shot out a beam of light that concentrated into a brilliant, hovering sphere of pure white.

"HEY, GUYS, WHAT HAPPENED?" cried Luke from upstairs.

"YOU HAVE TO COME CHECK THIS OUT, MAN!" yelled back Dan. "IT'S WORKING!!!"

As he heard Luke shambling about upstairs (no doubt hurriedly collecting other missing components) Missy began tentatively walking toward the shining orb.

"Hey," asked Dan cautiously, "you sure you should be doing that?"

"It's just a projection, isn't it?" she returned. "Just a hologram." And she reached out her finger and touched it.

The sphere seemed to shrink for a moment, before an encompassing light shot out of it. Missy and Dan were nearly blinded by it, and both felt their bodies being sort of sucked inwards. As light danced up the basement steps, Luke dropped all his equipment. "To hell with this," he muttered, "I'm missing it!" And he rushed towards the stairs, only to see from the top of the staircase that the entire basement was filled with a bizarre illumination; there was a loud sucking sound, as one would hear from a vacuum, and barely audible over that were the yells of Dan and Missy. The light seemed to get brighter, and the sound louder, until it stopped.

Rushing down the stairs, Luke began yelling, "Hey! Hey! Are you guys alright?" But he stopped when he opened the basement door.

Neither Dan nor Missy could be seen.

---

After the light subsided, Dan's vision was still blurred, but he could see a myriad of color playing about in the corners of his eyes. His body felt very queasy, as though he had just gotten off a roller coaster, and he felt his consciousness slipping...slipping…slipping…

---

Missy was in such pain she would surely have chosen to lose consciousness if the choice was presented to her. After touching the light, she had been pulled inwards, and when it was gone, she too found herself in a multicolored plane. _What is this?_ she found herself wondering, until a sudden shiver racked her entire body, followed by a bout of stinging pain. "Ow !" she said--or, at least, attempted to say: her voice came out as a high, melodious growl. _What on earth?_ she wondered as she put her hand up to her throat, only to find that her hand had become a sort of paw covered in very dark grey fur.

Suddenly, patches of fur seemed to erupt from her skin wherever the pain was. Letting out a series of fearful growls as her body morphed from human to small and feral, Missy closed her eyes as the colors around her seemed to dance even faster in such speed it was almost nauseating. She could feel herself being pulled and twisted almost inside out, and when it seemed to be over, she was so small she was lost in her shirt, until her clothing seemed to burn away. Then she opened her eyes and found that the colors were gone, but below her a floor that looked as though it were made of concrete seemed to loom up at her. Missy quickly closed her eyes again and braced for impact, but when she seemed to stop falling, she opened her eyes tentatively and found she was standing unharmed on the concrete.

Now that her immediate safety was confirmed, Missy's agenda turned to examining what changes had been wrought on her body. Turning about, Missy soon realized she was on all fours (her feet and hands all turned to paws) and her body was almost entirely covered in dark, stormy grey fur, except at the end of her tail (since when did she have a tail?) and in a mane-like bushel of fur about her neck, where it was a pale silver.

Suddenly, she caught a familiar scent, which disoriented her. _When…when did I start recognizing things by scent?_ she found herself wondering. She soon identified the scent as belonging to Dan; he was around the corner in a hallway.

"Dan? DAN!" she yelled, sprinting over to him (too worried to care that she was still going on all fours, or that her yells had come out as "Vee! Eevee!")

"Are you alright?" she asked as she nudged him with her new nose, trying to stir him. "Get up!" Now, however, she noticed her odd manner of speech. And, she found herself wondering, _Why isn't HE all furry?_ Realizing that he wasn't waking up any time soon, she looked around at her new surroundings.

She seemed to be in a lab of some sort, with odd instruments constructed of sinister metal and glass about her. However, the lab appeared to have been abandoned for some time; many of the machines showed signs of disuse and rust, there was dust and grime all over the floor, and the wall paper was peeling. The wall itself was crumbling in some spots.

"What kind of place is this?" Missy asked herself.

"'This place' happens to be my home," came a rumbling reply from behind her. Missy turned about, aware of a sudden pungency assailing her sense of smell, to catch view of what appeared to be an animate pile of purple slime with eyeballs.

"Well now, little Eevee," gurgled the creature, "aren't _you_ something special, eh?"

"What do you mean?!" asked Missy, aware that she and the creature were having a conversation by repeating the same sounds over and over. She kept on saying "Vee! Eevee vee!" Her converser's vocabulary seemed to be even more limited, as he had only said, "Muk! Muk muk muk MUK muk! Muk muk!"

"What do I mean?" returned back the thing with a chuckle. "What I mean is that where most Eevee are brown, you are grey…and, where most Eevee are white, you are silver! Or, has this trainer of yours isolated you from the rest of your species, so that you don't know just how unique you are, eh? I wouldn't blame him: he must prize you a whole lot, thanks to that unique coloration."

_Trainer?_ she thought in confusion. And then, realization stuck her like a train. _Trainer…Eevee…isn't 'Eevee' a kind of pokemon? It is! I'm sure it is! And wasn't the game Luke was testing a pokemon game? I'm sure it was! This body…I've become a pokemon!_

The Muk seemed startled when the Eevee he was addressing suddenly collapsed and started crying. "HEY! What's wrong, eh? What're you crying about?"

"I-I don't want to b-be a pokemon! This isn't happening!" came Missy's sobbing voice from the racking furry body.

"You don't want to be a…pokemon?!" The Muk was obviously not understanding what was going on. "Well, what DO you want to be, eh? A human? Talk about an identity crisis!"

"SHUT UP!!" came Missy's sobbing voice, her emotions flowing from sadness to angry denial. "Just SHUT UP, you walking pile of smelly waste!"

There was a tense moment of silence before the Muk responded with anger. "Pile…of smelly…WASTE?!? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO!?"

"SHUT UP!!" yelled back Missy, getting to her feet. "You stupid, smelly, ugly, THING!! You're not even REAL!"

"NOT REAL, EH?!" roared the Muk, not realizing Missy was only insulting him to have something to take out her emotions on. "WELL, TELL ME HOW FAKE YOU THINK _**THIS**_ IS!!" And he lunged at her, intending to smash her into the wall. Missy gave a sort of gasp and jumped to the side, astounded at her newfound agility and reflexes. The Muk hit the wall with a mighty splat.

Dan began stirring. As he sat up, clasping his aching head, he noticed something. "Hey, look," he said in a befuddled state, "a Muk and an Eevee. I think they're fighting. Is that Eevee shiny? No…shiny Eevee are silver and white, but this one is grey and silver…" Suddenly his head cleared as he realized the ramifications of what he was seeing for the first time. "OH MY GOD!!" He screamed. "A MUK AND AN EEVEE!!"

_Dan!_ Thought Missy as she heard his voice. _He's awake!_ The momentary pause she took was all the Muk needed to fling a sizeable ball of sludge at her, sending her careening into the wall.

"HAH!" Yelled the Muk in triumph. "_**NOW**_ WHO'S NOT REAL, EH?! EH?!"

Missy got to her feet angrily, and made a dash, sending her skull into her gloating opponent's stomach. The Muk let out an "Oof!" as Missy ran to take another position. _How did I know where to hit?_ she wondered. _And, how am I still fighting? I just got thrown into the wall! If I was still human, that could have knocked me out or even killed me! But now that I'm smaller, I can shrug it off like it was no big deal?! What happened to me?_

The Muk regained his composure and began throwing volley after volley of sludge at his opponent. As Missy was forced to back into a corner, defeat seemed inevitable. Dan, who had been watching the fight with enthusiasm, realized he didn't want the little Eevee to get hurt. "Hey!" he yelled, shakily getting to his feet. "Leave the Eevee alone!"

The Muk turned around and stared at him, wildness in it's eyes. "Muk MUK muk muk MUK muk muk?" ("So, you don't want me to hurt her, eh?") it asked the human. "MUK! Muk muk MUK muk _**MUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKK**_!" ("Fine! I'll just aim for **you** instead!")

As the pile of slime lunged towards Dan, he realized how foolish his comment had been. He turned to run, but his legs were still weak, and he collapsed. As the Muk got closer, he braced himself for a lot of pain, when suddenly an enormous ball of fire shot out of nowhere and slammed into the wild pokemon's back, collapsing it.

"Hit it again, Ruby!" Called a commanding voice. The order was followed by another ball of flame, hurting the Muk even more. "Good! And now, for the coup de grace!" And a Great Ball flew out of nowhere and hit the Muk, capturing it in no time flat.

Both Dan and Missy looked in awe at the Ponyta who appeared from down the hall and the large man accompanying her. He was tall and bald, with a prominent mustache and sunglasses. He wore a dirty-looking lab coat. As the man picked up the Great Ball, Dan--still seated on the ground--spoke in an awe-filled voice. "Good lord," he said with wonder, "you're Blaine!"

_Blaine?_ wondered Missy, shakily trotting out of the slime-filled corner. _Who's Blaine?_

The scientist/Gym Leader turned to Dan and gave the boy a cocky smile. "Right you are, m'boy," he said with a laugh, "right you are!"


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 07/19/2008 on deviantART. It's better than the previous one, in my opinion at least; hopefully you'll enjoy it!

***

Missy was trying to keep up, her unfamiliar Eevee legs trotting shakily as she followed Blaine and Dan. Her fight with the Muk had put a stop to her emotional breakdown, and now her mind was in a dizzy shocked state. She registered that she had somehow been transported to a place that should only exist in a work of fiction -- the world of pokemon -- and that she had been turned into a pokemon along for the ride. Her brother's best friend, Dan Fawcett, had also been transported to this place, but had not been transformed like she had; he seemed oblivious to the fact that Missy was trotting behind him in the furry form she was in.

Dan seemed to be taking this entire process in stride; he had astutely observed Blaine catch the Muk that had been attacking her, and had immediately begun conversing with the man, who was leading him out of the old abandoned building.

"So," Blaine was saying, "you've honestly never seen even a _single_ pokemon before in your life?"

"That's right," responded Dan with as much enthusiasm as the cynical boy could muster; the young man was not so naïve as to simply begin telling random strangers he was from another universe, but he could not curb the astonishment he felt at seeing this world in the tangible flesh. "That battle was the first I've ever seen of real pokemon."

"Ah," mused Blaine, absentmindedly rubbing his bald head. "So, that Eevee following us doesn't belong to you?"

Dan gave a start and turned around to look at Missy, who gave a confused look back at him; he hadn't realized she was following them.

"Um," he said sheepishly, "no."

"What an oddly colored specimen," muttered Blaine, looking back at Missy. Missy dimly remembered the Muk making comments about how odd her fur color was: primarily gray with some silver parts as well. It seemed to be the first thing everyone noticed about her.

"Yeah," said Dan, "when I came to, she and the Muk were just sort of fighting. I don't know how long I was out, so she could have been there for a while; I don't know why she's following us, either."

"You were knocked unconscious? Do you remember anything unusual?"

Dan realized that the conversation could take a dangerous turn. Trying to stall, he said, "Unusual like what, exactly?"

"Well, the whole reason I was here was that somebody reported a long series of colored light coming from the top floor of this mansion…"

"Oh!" said Dan in realization. "We're in Cinnabar's pokemon mansion!"

Blaine gave the young man an odd look. "How," he began, "could you _possibly_ arrive on the top floor of the mansion without knowing where you were?"

Dan, understanding that he had backed himself into a corner, decided to tell Blaine the truth…or, at least, part of the truth. "Well," he said, "I was at my friend Luke's house, in his basement really, to see this machine he's been building."

As Blaine nodded with comprehension, Dan felt confident that the Gym Leader would believe his story: the world of pokemon was more fantastic than Dan's home world, the "real world", and stuff like this would be taken in stride.

"Luke's machine did something, and spat out this weird sphere-looking thing, that's when his sister Missy--"

Suddenly, Dan stopped, as he concluded something he should have earlier.

"Missy! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh NO! Listen, have you seen a girl of fifteen with dark hair?!" Dan suddenly began questioning Blaine.

_He's talking about **me**,_ thought Missy blankly as Blaine tried to calm the young man down.

"What are babbling about?!" Yelled Blaine in confusion. "What happened?!"

"Long story short, she touched the sphere and I was transported here; she must be here too!"

"Are you certain?" Blaine asked.

"Of course! I was just a bystander, she's the one who _touched_ the thing! If it happened to me, there's no way she escaped it! I've got to look for her; she might have been attacked by wild pokemon!"

_I'm the one who touched the sphere,_ continued Missy's dreamy, foggy train of thought. _Of course I would be here too. But, he doesn't have fur like I do. Probably because he was a 'bystander', while I was the one who touched it. That's why he's okay. Oh, now he's going to go look for me…_

While she was thinking this, her mind was light and airy, but there was a nagging panic at the back of her head. _I'm here,_ she found herself thinking. _I'm here, Dan._ Her light-headedness was clearing up…_I'm right here! Right in front of you!_

She came back to reality. _I'm a pokemon,_ she realized. I'm in the pokemon world. _Dan thinks I'm still human and he's looking for me! DAN! I'M RIGHT HERE!  
_  
"VEE!" Said Missy, breaking out of her shock and running up to Dan. "EEVEE VEE!"

"Listen, we have to go ba--WHOA!" Dan said suddenly as the grey Eevee leapt on top of him.

"Eevee! Eev eev eevee! Vee Eevee VEE!" said the little grey Eevee looking down at his face with intent, as Blaine pulled her up.

"What'd she attack me for?" said Dan, standing back up and looking over at Missy, who was squirming in Blaine's hands.

"I don't think she did, son," said Blaine, trying to calm Missy down. "I think that she's trying to tell you something, and got a little too excited."

"Maybe she overheard what I was saying about Missy?" Dan mused. "Do you think she's in here, little one?"

Missy let off another string of growls in answer as Blaine responded, "I don't think that's likely. Remember that I found you on the top floor; I searched the rest of the mansion before I got there, and not a single person to be found. If your friend is here, she probably recovered and headed into town before I got here.

"Now then," Blaine said, putting Missy back onto the floor, "you just run along now, little Eevee, and try not to get into any more fights with dangerous poison pokemon, ok?" He tried patting her on the head, but Missy was not too appreciative and ran off, growling.

"I _will_ make you understand," she muttered.

---

She covertly followed Blaine and Dan into town, keeping track of them by their scent, and listening in on their conversation through the use of her hyper-sensitive hearing; from what she gathered, Blaine was going to let Dan stay at his manor the next couple of days as they searched 'Cinnabar Island' (she assumed that was the name of the town) for her. All she needed to do was sneak in, get Dan's attention, and find a computer or something similar and type down her real identity.

Tracking the duo through town was more difficult. Missy didn't know very much about the pokemon universe--having only seen a few episodes of the television show when she was younger and never playing any of the games--but she could tell her coloration was unique, which would likely make her a prime target for 'capturing' or whatever they called it.

Finally arriving at Blaine's manor, she weaseled her way under the gate and snuck past the gardeners. She saw what looked like a stable, and realized that was her best bet of getting inside: if Blaine's pokemon were kept in there, there was likely a door of some kind that allowed them in and out.

She tried to walk in, only to find that she was staring at a number of fire pokemon, all of whom stopped whatever it was they were doing and stared at her curiously.

"Why, look," said a large dog-like creature with enormous jaws in a roaring laugh, "a stray wandered in!"

"Oh, hush," said another creature: a fox-like being with fur that almost looked like it was on fire, with big black eyes. "You Arcanine are always so crude. Hello dear," she said stepping towards Missy with a kind smile, "My name's Marilith. I used to be an Eevee like you; are you hungry?" she said, motioning towards a bowl of repulsive pokemon food.

"Hey," came a cocky voice from the corner, "I know you!" As Missy turned to look in that direction, she saw the odd flaming horse--the "Ponyta" called Ruby--that had escorted Blaine through the mansion earlier. "You're that little fighter that Sir Blaine had me save earlier! What're you doing here? Come to offer me thanks?"

"No," said Missy with ground teeth as Ruby looked down with derision towards her, "I want to go inside."

At that, the Arcanine gave a massive roar of a laugh, Marilith gave a sad sigh, and Ruby gave a bleat of a snicker. "Why would we ever let a little tramp like you into Sir Blaine's house?" Ruby sneered. "He's busy with an important guest right now!"

"I know," responded Missy, trying to keep her cool; she didn't have time to banter with these creatures. "I'm here to see him."

"Oh!" Marilith interjected. "He wouldn't happen to be your trainer, by chance?"

"No, that's not right," said Ruby before Missy could respond, "I overheard Sir Blaine and the boy talking from my pokeball. He doesn't own her."

"Of course he doesn't!" Missy said angrily. "I'm human!"

There was a very awkward silence, which the Arcanine broke by finally saying, "Pull the other one!"

"No you're not," said Ruby, giving a harsh look at Missy.

"Yes, I am! I'm that girl he was looking for! I came here, and when I woke up, I wasn't, I wasn't…"

And here her throat choked up, and she whispered the last part: "_...human anymore…_"

Blaine's pokemon looked on in ponderous silence, and then Marilith said, "She certainly does seem sad, the little dear; why don't we help her?"

"Oh," said Ruby, "You just want to help her because she's an Eevee and you're a Flareon. Think of how much trouble we'll be in!"

"I agree with Marilith," The Arcanine argued. "Our trainer is a Gym Leader, sworn to help those in need. How justifiable is it for us to be his pokemon if we don't follow his example?"

Ruby sighed. "Fine," she said, nodding towards a flap in the wall, "go through here. I swear if I get in trouble you'll pay."

Missy gave the fire pokemon some brief thanks and went through the door.

_Where would Dan and that old man be?_ She found herself wondering. _Actually, I need to find some sort of computer or typewriter first; if they see me they'll just kick me out._

So, Missy began an exploration of Blaine's manor. Sneaking upstairs, she eventually found what she assumed to be his bedroom. _There must be an office around here somewhere…There! A computer!_ But as she got near and saw the keyboard, she suddenly grew discouraged.

She didn't recognize any of the symbols on the keyboard.

_These…_ Missy thought, _These aren't English letters, are they? They…they must not speak English here!_

But if they didn't speak English, how could she understand what they were saying? Then Missy realized that if she understood the language of pokemon, and her brain translated it into English for her comprehension, perhaps the same thing was happening with whatever language the humans spoke. But apparently, this knowledge of translation didn't extend to writing…

This was too much. Missy let out a high-pitched growling scream, and collapsed, sobbing. She heard footsteps and yelling behind her, but she didn't care, even though Blaine's staff was gathering about her in confusion. Then, she could hear their feet parting, and heard the familiar voices of Blaine and Dan.

"How did she get in here?" That was Dan.

"_Why_ did she get in here is a better question," mused Blaine.

Missy didn't care that she barely knew him, that he was only her older brother's silent and ephemeral friend, that he didn't know it was her; Dan offered a sense of familiarity in this nightmare of a world. She slowly walked over to him, still crying, hating the fact that she moved on all fours, and buried her face in his levi-covered leg, needing something to cry on.

Dan looked at Blaine with discomfort, obviously clueless as to what he needed to do.

"Maybe," offered Blaine with hesitation, "Maybe she wants you to be her trainer?"

"Is that it?" Dan asked down at the grey and silver Eevee burying her face into his jeans, "Do you want to be my pokemon?" And he reached down to pet her.

_He's going to catch me,_ whispered a malicious little voice in the back of Missy's head.

"NO!" she screamed through her tears, biting Dan's hand. As he drew it back with a yelp, she jumped back and stared at his face, fur bristling and mouth emitting a growl.

"I am _not_ a pokemon," she said with low, fierce emphasis, "and I refuse to allow you to treat me like one. I…will not…be treated like a common _animal!_"

The people present couldn't understand a word she was saying, and one of the manor's attendants whispered to Blaine, "Should we contact the Dangerous Pokemon Patrol, sir?"

"No," said Blaine, "I do not think violence is in this creature's nature; it's obviously upset about something." Leaning down, he addressed Missy directly. "Do you want to be caught by this young man?" He said.

_How does he expect me to reply?_ Missy wondered before an idea struck her. She vigorously shook her head.

"But do you still want to spend time with him?" Blaine asked again.

Missy thought about it. Did she want to spend time with Dan? In fact, would he even allow her around, now that she had bit him? It suddenly stuck her an action foreign to her, biting somebody. It went against her personality, it was not something she would do. _It's not something a human would do._ The thought came unbidden to her mind. She gave a shudder and shook the thought from her mentality. _I can't afford to think like that,_ She chided herself.

She answered Blaine's question with a nod.

"Well, that's all settled," Blaine said happily, noticing that Missy's bite hadn't seemed to have done any significant damage to Dan's hand. "Back to dinner!" And the whole entourage left to go downstairs to the dining room. Confused as to whether she should be following or not, she tentatively trailed at the back of the procession.

Reaching the dining room, she caught sight of heaps of wonderfully prepared food piled ahead of her. She made a beeline for the table, fully appreciating for the first time just how hungry she was, but then one of Blaine's maids picked her up and set near a dish on the floor filled with the same pokemon food she had seen in Marilith's bowl. She gave a disgusted sniff, before realizing that rejecting it and attempting to get at the food at the table wouldn't help her situation at all. She consigned herself to eating the food, which didn't taste all too bad…but it certainly wasn't what she wanted.

As they ate, Dan and Blaine were conversing. "I guess I'll just let her accompany me over the next couple of days," Dan was saying, looking over at Missy. "I don't really understand how a pokemon could want to spend time with humans without being trained by one," he sighed. "And, I was happy at the thought that I might get to have my first pokemon…"

At this, Blaine got an enlightened look on his face. He immediately cleared the table, and asked Dan to follow him to his training center, ordering his pokemon to be sent there. Missy, having eaten enough of the pokemon food as she could stomach, followed them.

In the center, Blaine asked Dan with seriousness, "Do you really want to be a pokemon trainer?"

"Um, yeah…" Dan said confusedly, not sure what was going on.

"Then, take this, boy! Your first pokemon!" And with that, Blaine pulled out a Great Ball from his coat and gave it to the teen, who looked down at the Great Ball in his hand with astonishment.

"You're…you're really giving this to me?!" asked Dan.

"Of course!" Blaine said with a wink. "I wasn't planning on keeping that one anyways; I only train fire pokemon, after all."

Dan opened the ball to release…the Muk that Missy had fought against earlier that day!

Dan didn't seem to be fazed by the fact that his first pokemon was a walking pile of toxins. He bent down, with a soft smile on his face, his eyes observing through the messy brown locks of hair that hung over his face. "Hello there," he said, trying to calm the Muk that was looking around in confusion. "My name's Dan, and I'll be your new trainer."

"Do you plan on giving it a nickname?" asked one of Blaine's attendants.

"Yeah," said Dan with a smile. "I'll call you…Armor. Because Muk have such high defenses: Armor your name shall be!"

"Good!" said Blaine. "Now we battle!"

That jerked Dan out of his euphoria. "A battle right NOW?!" He said with confusion. "Against a Gym Leader?"

Blaine smiled, saying, "Dive headfirst into the difficult parts: you'll grow all the faster. Marilith! Come here!"

The Flareon left her place from among Blaine's pokemon and took a battle stance opposite Armor.

Missy wandered over to Blaine's other pokemon and asked a Charmander (one of the few pokemon species she recognized): "Is it really safe for that pokemon to battle Marilith? He was only defeated a few hours ago!"

"Oh, there's no question that Marilith will wipe the floor with him," came a sneering voice from behind: Ruby had made her appearance. "Of course, even at full power, that Muk wouldn't be able to beat even the _lowliest_ of Sir Blaine's pokemon. Only a truly pathetic, infantile, WEAK pokemon could lose to that thing." As Ruby gave Missy a vicious smile, Missy knew the Ponyta was taunting her: She herself had been nearly defeated by Armor a few hours prior.

In the amount of time it took to have that conversation, Armor was soundly trounced by Blaine's Flareon. "I'm sorry, dearest," Marilith apologized with a grandmotherly smile. "I did try to ease up."

"Oh, that's fine, eh," responded the Muk before Dan recalled him. "No hard feelings."

"I lost," mused Dan sullenly.

"Of course you did!" Blaine noted cheerfully. "The first step to the attainment of power is the realization that there are those more powerful than you!"

Dan nodded, and asked, "I'm bushed. Where is the guest bedroom?"

Blaine's attendants showed the young man where to stay. Missy followed, and found that they had prepared a small cushion like a cat-bed on the floor for her to sleep on. Missy looked away embarrassedly as Dan changed into his pajamas; before he climbed into bed, he bent down and stroked Missy's grey fur, muttering, "What should I call you? Even if I don't train you, I can't keep calling you 'Eevee'."

Missy didn't bother responding, she was feeling drowsy with the cushion beneath her and Dan's hand running through her fur.

"I know! Since your fur is so grey, like a thundercloud, I'll call you Storm! How about that?"

_That's not my name,_ she thought drowsily. "My name is Missy," she muttered sleepily, not caring that he couldn't understand her.

"I'm glad you like it," Dan said contentedly, misreading her remark. He stopped petting her, and climbed into his bed. As Missy drifted off to sleep, she heard him mutter, "Let this not be a dream…"

_That's exactly the opposite of what I wish…_ she thought as she slipped into dreams.

---

The next morning, Missy woke up early like she always did. Giving a yawn, she muttered, "What an odd dream…"

But as she tried to stand up, she fell over backwards; it hadn't been a dream. She was still Storm, the little grey Eevee.

She cried again, but softer and for a shorter length this time.

That morning, after breakfast, Dan searched Cinnabar looking for Missy, unaware she was trotting by his side with dark and tumultuous thoughts. After lunch, he gave up the search, headed back to Blaine's mansion, and spent the day training with Armor and learning more about the pokemon world (it was substantially different in reality than in any fictional form he had encountered it in.)

Aftter Blaine returned from his work at the Gym and everyone ate dinner, Dan held a series of battles against Blaine's attendants, finally managing to steal one win.

And that's how the routine went for the next couple of weeks. After waking up, Dan and Missy spent the mornings uselessly combing the streets for information on Missy's whereabouts; Missy sometimes cried in the morning, and sometimes not. Afternoons were spent studying and training (Missy eventually began training herself, if only to show Ruby she wasn't such a weakling) and evenings were spent with Dan and Armor challenging various members of Blaine's household and, if they grew daring, Blaine himself. Although Dan and Armor's battling prowess increased significantly as the days passed, neither of them were capable of so much as scratching Blaine. Missy didn't participate in the battling, however, being more than content with wearing away her sorrow and confusion through rigorous training.

Eventually, Dan voiced his opinion to Blaine over dinner that he didn't think Missy was on the island.

" I suppose maybe it was only me who was transported here, and not her," he said one evening.

"I agree," said Blaine. "You must have searched the town and the old mansion fifty times over by now; she isn't here."

_Think again,_ thought Missy sullenly as she chewed the bland pokemon food.

"I suppose I'd better go about finding a way to get back home," said Dan.

"So, where exactly is it you're from?" Blaine asked. "You never did say any specifics. I'd be happy to arrange transportation for you. Do you live somewhere in Kanto? Or, maybe in another region; Hoenn or Fiore, perhaps?"

Dan gave a sigh. It was time to tell Blaine the truth: no use in lying now.

"I don't think you can help me get home," he said in a low voice. "Please listen to what I have to say.

"I come from another world."


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 08/5/2008 on deviantART. If you're wondering why my formatting is a little odd, it's because when I originally tried submitting stories to deviantART, they constantly screwed up stories with traditional formatting, so I ran with the whole 'space between paragraphs, don't use a tab' thing. And I'm not going to reformat my entire story when I'm transferring websites. So yeah.

***

"I'm back," Dan mused, looking around at his hometown, glad to be back in his own world.

"Dan!" Luke said joyfully, running up to greet his friend, and meeting Dan in a tackle. "Dude, you wouldn't believe how intensely worried I was!"

"Oh, it was no biggie," Dan joked quietly, running his fingers through his messy brown hair. "You see, I had a lot of fun there."

"Did you look for my sister?"

"Who?"

"Missy."

"Oh, no, I didn't," Dan joked, laughing cruelly. "What I mean to say is that I 'looked', but I didn't _really_ search, you know?"

"Oh, I understand," Luke said in a hollow voice. "I mean, you getting home is so much more important, right?"

"Right."

Suddenly, Missy came running down the road. "Luke, I'm here! I'm home, and I'm not an Eevee anymore!"

But the two boys looked over at the sound in horror.

"Sweet mercy! What _is_ that thing?!" Luke cried in disgust as Dan shuddered.

Confused, Missy looked down, only to find that her body, which she thought was human, was hunched over and deformed, and that blotchy grey fur was spread out over her skin in mismatched, ugly patches. A massive Eevee tail spread out behind her as she looked down at her massive paws/hands to see enormous claws growing from the tips, and her tongue felt the presence of fangs in her mouth.

"No," she said despairingly, "This isn't--"

But the sound that came out of her mouth was a beastly, hideous, incomprehensible roar.

Dan turned to Luke and asked, "What is that thing?"

_It's me, brother, it's me…_ Thought Missy desperately.

But Luke shook his head. "I don't know, Dan," he said in a baffled tone. "But I'll tell you one thing for sure: It's not human."

"Not human?" Echoed Dan.

"Not human." Confirmed Luke.

"Not human. Not human. Not human. Not human! Not human! Not human! NOT HUMAN! NOT HUMAN! **NOT HUMAN!!! NOT--**"

Missy woke up screaming.

Dan, lying on the bed Blaine had provided for him, snuffled and turned over, his sleep undisturbed.

_A dream._ Missy realized, sweat soaking the grey fur on her Eevee brow. _Just another stupid dream._

She tried lying down on the cushion that served as her makeshift bed, but her heart was racing and the dream-Luke's cries still resounded in her head.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep for quite some time, Missy quietly left Dan's bedroom, and made her way on all fours downstairs and out through the stable to Blaine's lawn. It was nearly a month since Missy had arrived in the pokemon world, and she still thought the act of walking about on all fours foreign.

Making her way out to a small pond in the grass, Missy collapsed in a large, uncut section of growth near the pond and turned to look upwards at the night sky…but, the stars and moon were not visible, hidden by a mass of grey covering the sky.

_Storm clouds…_ she realized, as a chill wind clew through the grass and her fur; Missy felt herself noticing for the first time just how cold it was outside. _How come I didn't notice the chill and the wind before?_ she asked herself. And then the thought stuck her: _My fur is insulating me._

She tried to brush aside the thought of how this new body had changed her so, but that of course only made it worse, until she remembered the dream again.

_Why did I have a nightmare like that again?_ She wondered sullenly. _I haven't freaked out like that since the first week spent in this new body._

She knew why, of course. Earlier that evening Dan had confessed to Blaine his true origins, and the existence of the pokemon universe as fiction in his and Missy's home world. Missy was in the same room eating pokemon food, and she had the opportunity to listen in. Blaine had kept quiet during the tale, and when it was done, he sat quietly pondering the implications of Dan's story.

"I'm not sure what it means either," Dan had said embarrassedly, trying to break the silence that had followed. "But I swear, I'm telling the truth."

Blaine had, in fact, believed the boy (Missy was astonished he took to the story so well) saying, "If you had spouted that malarkey the first or second day I met you, I would have shipped you to the asylum. But it's been a while, and I realize you're not insane, nor are you a malicious person who would tell that sort of lie…which means that the only option is that you're telling the truth, or at least think you are."

Blaine had gone on to tell Dan that odd activity, coupled with disappearances, had been taking place in the northern city of Celadon for a few months.

"It's not much to go on," Blaine admitted, "But it's your only lead as far as I'm concerned."

Blaine outlined that he would use contacts of his to arrange passage for Dan on a ferry heading north to Celadon the following day.

_That's why I'm scared,_ Missy realized. _If we go to this city and find our way back…I don't know if I'll necessarily be turned into a human again when we return, or if I'll stay an Eevee. Or even…_ The image of the nightmarish Eevee/human hybrid that Missy had become in her dream sprang to mind. Missy closed her eyes in frustration, and ducked her head down against the ground under her paws. _Stop it,_ she said. _You're going to be fine. Don't think like that._

When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring down at the pond and her reflection. She saw the alien features that were her new face, saw the long ears and big eyes, the vulpine nose…

She started to cry against her own will, even though it had been several days since she had cried about her transformation.

"Not human," she whispered, repeating the secret fear that had manifested itself in her dream. "Not human, not human…"

"So, it's true, eh?" Came a questioning voice from behind her. Missy turned and saw Armor, Dan's Muk, a few feet behind her.

"Ruby and some of that Gym Leader's pokemon told me you think you're really a human," Armor began, avoiding eye contact with the teary Eevee. "I told them that made a lot of sense eh? I mean considering what you said when I, eh, 'overreacted' and started fighting you." The Muk shot Missy an apologetic smile. "I really am sorry for that, Storm."

"Missy." She said quietly.

"Eh?"

"Dan calls me 'Storm' but my real name is 'Missy'."

"Oh, I'm sorry, eh," Armor said, obviously embarrassed. "I might still call you Storm by accident, though. When Mister Dan refers to somebody in a specific manner, I'm liable to copy, eh?"

"That's fine," Missy muttered. It started raining; the wind was blowing through the grass fiercely. "It's getting chilly. I'm going inside before my fur's soaked. Good night, Armor."

As she walked off, the rain intensified, and lightning crackled through the air. Armor stayed motionless by the pond, his mind wandering. "Hey!" He said suddenly, turning around and yelling over the elements. "I really am sorry, eh? For trying to hurt you…and for how sad you are!"

Missy kept walking, not turning around, giving no sign she had heard.

---

The following morning, Dan was ready to go, with some clothes, food, Poke Balls, and money lent to him by Blaine.

"Here's your ticket," Blaine said, handing Dan his papers. "The boat takes off in two hours, so you'd better hurry. If you never make it back…then I guess I'll know you made it home. But, if for any reason you can't finish your journey, just trek on back here. You'll always find a welcome home on Cinnabar."

"Thanks, Blaine," Dan said softly, with a light smile.

"One more thing," Blaine said, reaching into his lab coat and pulling out a Poke Ball. "If you're going to take on the world, you'll need some decent pokemon by your side," he said handing it to the astonished boy. "Just a little backup in case your Eevee and Muk fail you."

"Blaine…there's no way I could…" Dan began, looking at the Gym Leader through his brown hair, but Blaine waved off his protests.

"Oh," he said, "That one's a handful. She just doesn't appreciate how slowly I approach life; she needs a younger, more vigorous trainer to keep watch over her. Besides, I think she's quite smitten with you."

"Which one is it?" Dan asked.

Blaine pushed his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose so that the young man could see his eyes, and gave a wink. "Ruby," he said.

That got Missy's attention.

_Ruby?_ she thought in angry shock. _Dear God, not her!_ Missy remembered the smarmy Ponyta's snide comments about her, and the tormenting snicker that always seemed to accompany Ruby whenever she made an appearance.

"Thank you Blaine," Dan was saying. "Looks like I just got my second pokemon…third, if you count Storm. Storm, are you coming?"

"It's Missy," Missy growled, but she nodded her head.

"You've got a ferry to catch," Blaine observed good-naturedly.

Dan gave a courteous nod. "That I do. See you around, old man."

---

The man at the docks was not happy about letting on a 'wild' pokemon, when he realized that Dan hadn't actually caught Missy with a Poke Ball. But, when Dan angrily showed him the signature at the bottom of his boat ticket, the dockhand hurriedly allowed Missy aboard, not wanting to incur the wrath of Cinnabar's Gym Leader.

Dan mused over the experience as he pet Missy's fur absentmindedly; he was sitting on a beach chair on deck, and she was curled up on a table nearby, trying to stay awake. But his hand through her fur was so soothing…

"It's all about having powerful friends," mused Dan. "That's the only way I got you on board, Storm, was Blaine. It may sound an arrogant lesson, but it's true, even here. This place…this is fiction, I can tell. The people are friendly, peace runs rampant, poverty is nonexistent, and the fantastic is taken as an everyday occurrence. It's not like home," he sighed. "At home there are lessons you need to learn, like the one about friends; back home you can be a wonderful person and come in last, back home nobody cares about anybody but themselves. People are miserable. In the world of pokemon, though, children can roam the land in 'quests' without having to worry about harm or care. All criminals are bumbling idiots easily dispatched by even the most rudimentary civilian, and people will give you free stuff just for looking at them, and it's unimaginable that the things they give you could be unsafe or tampered with. This world is wonderful…but it's a fantasy, something born of a bored man's imagination. It's not real; a place where basic life is so wonderful is just an escapist dream," Dan continued, talking to the drowsy Eevee, not aware she did, in fact, hail from the same world as he. "But if life here is so good, and true life is so detestable, why do I want to go back? Because this is 'fake', and my world is 'real'? Hah!"

Dan grabbed a glass of lemonade off the table and took a sip, then he put it in front of his eyes and studied it. "What is this?" he asked himself. "Just data, a series of numbers put into a Gameboy cartridge? Just the imagination of a Japanese man made tangible? It looks like lemonade to me." He took another sip. "And it tastes like real lemonade should! Is it no less real that the lemonade waiting back home in my kitchen? Perhaps I should stay here," he debated, going back to rubbing Missy's fur. "The lemonade is just as sweet."

He spent the next couple of minutes in silent pondering, before suddenly jumping up and clasping his hands to his head. "Augh!" he screamed to the shock of the other passengers. "It's just too existential for me! I'm going home, I made up my mind yesterday afternoon! I don't care how great this place is, it's not home!"

Seeing that the noise had shocked Missy out of her stupor, he called out Armor and Ruby. "Come on, gang," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "let's go to the training level. Waste some hours away from this trip, right?"

As Dan's pokemon followed him down, Ruby edged up next to Missy and snickered down at her. "Well now, little girl," she said, chuckling ('little girl' was Ruby's favorite derogatory nickname for Missy, as she found Missy's insistence on being human highly amusing) "looks like you get to enjoy my company for quite a bit, huh?"

"Whoopee," responded Missy sarcastically.

"Oh, I promise it'll be fun," Ruby taunted. "Maybe our trainer will pit me against the two of you; I promise it'll be over quick, and with relatively little pain…unless you happen to not be fireproof. Oh, wait," she snickered.

"Missy, don't listen to her, eh?" Armor said angrily. "She's just sore because she has no real friends, she's so cruel."

"Missy?!" Ruby said to the Muk in shock. "Don't tell me you actually _believe_ this little rat's story! And even if it's true, Sir Dan refers to that little wretch as 'Storm', and so shall I! And speaking of friendship," she said with a cruel smile, "Didn't I have to step in a while back to stop you from turning her into a little grey smear?"

Armor fell back, abashed.

"And as for you, little girl," Ruby said turning her attentions to Missy once more, "It's obvious you don't want to be friends with that pile of ooze. The only friend you'll _ever need_ is that oh-so-adorable human boy you can't keep your eyes off of. Oh, if only you were bigger and tail-less, why, it would be a simple _whirlwind_ of romance! Ahahaha!"

"Shut up," Missy growled. "Dan's just a friend of my brother's, nothing more."

"Oh?" said Ruby with wickedly feigned innocence. "Then you won't mind if I do this!"

The Ponyta meandered playfully ahead of the two other pokemon, and when she reached Dan, she nuzzled his back. As he turned around and bent down to stroke her fur, asking, "What's wrong, Ruby?" she got up on her hind hooves for a few seconds and licked his cheek playfully.

Dan wiped off the tounge-mark, saying, "Stop that, Ruby," but the Ponyta just kept nuzzling and licking, occasionally shooting malicious glances towards her rival, who was nearly quivering with rage.

"What's the matter," Ruby asked, smirking, as she walked back towards the group after Dan had finally shoved her away, "Just a titch jealous, are we?"

"Not jealous," Missy responded lowly, "Just furious that you would show such disrespect to your trainer."

"Oh, hah," Ruby snickered in unbelief.

Their banter was disrupted by a large commotion updeck. Dan made an about-face and dashed up the stairs, his pokemon following close behind. They saw a prone, blue form lying on the deck shuddering, surrounded by passengers and sailors. "It's a Seadra!" Dan exclaimed. He ran up to a sailor. "What's going on?" Dan asked the man.

"This pokemon washed up on deck with a big wave," the sailor responded. "It's likely been hurt by the large number of Tentacruel in these waters."

"Oh, look," cried a passenger, "its breathing has slowed! We've got to help it!"

"Him," responded the pokemon nurse, who had made her way to the front of the crowd. "It's a him. I can treat pokemon with trainers, but my equipment is designed to function through a Poke Ball; I can't help wild pokemon."

"Hey," Dan said, moving forwards, "I've got some Poke Balls. Let me help." He pulled out one of the Poke Balls Blaine gave him, and tossed it. The Seadra was drawn in without a fight.

Dan picked up the ball, and whispered, "My first real caught pokemon…" before handing it to the nurse. She whisked the Seadra away to the makeshift pokemon hospital belowdecks.

A few minutes later, Dan and co. were seated around the now fully-healed Seadra, who was looking around with comprehension.

"Welcome to the group," Dan said happily, patting the Seadra on the head. "You'll need a nickname, of course." He thought for a few moments before his face lit up. "Nemo," he said with a laugh. "The little fish who got in big trouble. Your name is Nemo."

Before he could say anymore, a sailor walked in, and asked, "Mr. Fawcett, sir?"

"Dan Fawcett," Dan said, getting up, "that's me."

"The captain would like to speak to you."

As Dan left the room, Nemo looked around at his new fellow pokemon. "…Nemo?" He asked hesitantly, obviously very shy. "…why, um, why would he…call me by a name like that?"

"It's from a movie popular in our home world," Missy explained.

"…your…home world…?"

"Yes," said Missy, decided to let it out from the start. "I'm really a human, you see."

Before Nemo had the chance to do more than cast a curious glance at Missy, Ruby said loudly, "Oh, _brother!_" And she trotted over to her Poke Ball and let herself in.

"Don't mind her, eh," rumbled Armor, "You caught her in a foul mood, and you're not likely to ever catch her in a pleasant one."

Missy gave a laugh, and Nemo gave a hesitant smile as Missy proceeded to tell him her story.

---

A few days later, the group happily landed in Celadon City. Dan had trained up Armor, Missy, and Nemo so that they weren't so heavily outclassed by Ruby, and the group seemed to get along very well despite Nemo's persistent shyness…with the exception of Ruby, who was either aloof or condescending, depending on whether she felt like degrading you at a certain time or not.

Dan asked around for any information on disappearances, but the city people just looked down and turned away. One gruff man even gave Dan a shove and told him, "Don't ask around in danger like that, boy, or you're like to disappear yourself."

Eventually, one small child told Dan that if anybody knew something, it would be the town's Gym Leader, Erika. Getting her address, Dan made his way to her mansion.

It was even bigger than Blaine's. _Are all Gym Leaders filthy rich?_ Dan asked himself. He felt heavily intimidated, but he knew there was nothing else to do, so he reached his hand to knock on the heavy gates…


	4. Chapter 4

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 08/10/2008 on deviantART. This chapter is, IMO, where the story starts getting interesting and worth reading.

***

_Well,_ Dan thought with turmoil, _here goes nothing._ And he knocked, once again, on Erika's massive gate.

It wasn't long before a huffy-looking maid arrived, and asked through the wrought iron, "Just what exactly do you want?"

"I'd, uh, I'd like to see Erika, please…" Dan said tentatively.

"If it's a battle you want, Mistress Erika should be at the gym every Thursday and Saturday. Please wait until then."

"Um, no, actually, I was hoping to ask her about something important."

"Important, huh?" The maid didn't sound very convinced.

A sudden thought of inspiration stuck Dan. "I'm here on business from Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island."

That seemed to get her attention. "Are you really? How about some proof?"

Dan pulled out his boat ticket (good thing he didn't discard it!) and showed her Blaine's signature on the very bottom.

She still didn't seem very happy, but she let Dan in.

Dan wasn't very long waiting in the guest room before Erika came in. She looked close to how Dan had pictured her before: a young woman with black her down to her neck and pale skin, clad in a simple (yet elegant) kimono of red and white. "Can I help you?" She said with a sweet smile.

"Hi, I'm Dan Fawcett," Dan said, getting to his feet and brushing his brown hair out of his eyes embarrassedly. "I'm a friend of Blaine's."

"So I've heard," Erika said in that same soft voice. "You're here on business of his?"

"Well, both no and yes, really," Dan began, "You see, I've been in Blaine's care for a while, but I'm in a little trouble and he sent me here to fix my problem. From what I've gathered about town, however, you're really the only one capable of helping me."

"Hm," Erika noted with good humor, "You stretched the truth a bit for my maid, didn't you? Well, no matter…But, before you begin I have a question for you: Does that adorable little Eevee belong to you?"

Missy, who had trailed Dan inside, had known it was only a matter of time before somebody commented on her unique coloration. She was, after all, storm grey where a regular Eevee had brown fur (hence Dan's nickname for her, Storm) and she had silver fur where most Eevee had white fur. Missy was well aware that her unique coloration made an impression on most human viewers (and even a few pokemon) but she still preferred her old human body better. _Of course,_ she thought, _better to be a pretty Eevee than something else, like a Muk._ No disrespect meant to Armor, Dan's Muk and Missy's friend, of course. That thought had helped make the past couple of weeks more bearable.

"Well," Dan responded evasively to Erika's question, "I haven't really caught her in a Poke Ball yet, so, no."

"Oh, good." Erika said happily, motioning one of her maids over, who handed her mistress a Poke Ball.

"What are doing?" Dan asked.

Erika gave him a smile. "Catching that Eevee, of course."

That got both Dan and Missy's attention. Missy immediately leapt up on all fours, growling, before realizing she presented an easy target; she darted behind a sofa to dodge the thrown Poke Ball.

"Wait," Dan was saying hurriedly, "I still train her and she listens and travels with me and everything, I even gave her a nickname, I just still haven't technically caught her yet! Please, don't!"

"Why," began Erika calmly, "should any of that stuff matter? I would like a rare and beautiful pokemon like that in my collection…but," she sighed, "if you're a friend of Blaine's, I suppose that I could make an exception. Fine."

She put back the Poke Ball and bent down closer to the floor. "Come on out, little…what was her name again?"

"I call her Storm."

"Come on out, Storm."

Missy didn't budge from behind the couch. "It's _Missy_!" she screamed exasperatedly. She knew none of the humans could understand her, but it helped to let off steam.

"Come on, Storm, its okay," Dan coaxed.

Missy wasn't coming out; since she was incapable of speech, she decided to simply stay put as a means of communicating her fury.

Dan, sighing returned to conversation, and managed to get Erika to send her maids away after some small talk. He then proceeded to tell her as much of his story as he dared; not that he was from an entirely different plane of existence, of course, but that he needed to find a way back to a home that couldn't be reached via conventional means and that Blaine had suggested he look into the disappearances.

"Well," Erika said after he was finished, "I am currently heading an investigation with the police department. If you want, I'll pull some strings and let you join in."

"Thank you," Dan said. "Do you know of a hotel I could stay at?"

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd let you stay here, actually," Erika offered. "And all I ask in payment is the chance to see that Eevee in action."

"If I can get Storm to comply," Dan said apologetically. After coaxing Missy to come out of hiding, he followed Erika down to her training center in her basement, where she sent out what appeared to be a walking flower with a yellow, bell-shaped "head" and roots for appendages: a Bellsprout.

"I don't use this one for Gym Battles," Erika called to her opponent. "But it should be just perfect for that Eevee of yours."

Dan called out his other three pokeomn: Armor the Muk, Ruby the Ponyta, and Nemo the Seadra. "Everyone," he said, "This is Erika, Celdaon's Gym Leader. She'll be helping me find a way to get home. And," he said, "she wants a battle against Storm!"

At this, Ruby gave a sharp bleat of a snicker. "That little tramp?!" She said with sadistic pleasure. "Wonderful! Perhaps I'll finally get to see her receive some bruises!"

Armor and Nemo were less than appreciative of that. "Hey!" Armor argued. "You should be more sympathetic to St-erm, Missy's plight! Her life's hard enough as it is!"

"Um," the incredibly shy Nemo said, "I--I think that you should really be nicer to others…"

"Oh?!" Ruby challenged the Seadra, who fell back quavering under her intimidating prescence. "What makes you think I would _ever_ take the advice of a little urchin like you to heart?! Now be quiet! I don't want to miss any of this!"

Meanwhile Dan, oblivious to the internal strife of his pokemon, was attempting to brief Missy of his plan. Missy wasn't paying attention: she was busy trying to brush aside her anger at Ruby and Erika so that she would be capable of battling efficiently.

"Let's begin!" Erika said after Dan was done. "Bellsprout, Razor Leaf!" Her pokemon responded by firing off its leaves like spinning razor blades.

"Alright," Dan said excitedly, "Storm, dodge with a--"

But before he could even finish his command, Missy was off running. She jumped over the leaves, and landed straight on the surprised Bellsprout's head. Both Erika and Dan were in shock at the Eevee's lack of guidance; Erika tried to order her Bellsprout to respond, but by then Missy was already behind the plant, and she lunged at her opponent, knocking it to the ground. It attempted to retaliate, but Missy had already dashed over to nearly the other side of the room using her speed. _I'd still rather be back to normal,_ she thought as she dashed around the perimeter of the room gaining momentum, _But being able to run like this is a treasure!_

After completing nearly seven full laps of the battleground, gaining speed all the while (and sending Dan, Erika, the Bellsprout, and Dan's pokemon in a dizzy spell from trying to keep up) Missy dashed head on towards the Bellsprout. Erika saw the danger of this potentially match-ending gambit, and she ordered another Razor Leaf from her pokemon. The leaves stuck true, leaving cuts along Missy's body and one of her ears, but it wasn't enough to slow her down; she slammed into the Bellsprout, knocking it out.

Erika recalled her Bellsprout in shock as Missy trotted over and nuzzled Dan. "Did I make you proud?" She whispered, allowing him to run his hands through her fur.

"Hey," Dan said, upon seeing the numerous cuts along Missy's body, "Storm, you're hurt!" Missy realized that the wounds weren't hurting her at all, and she thought back to her first battle against Armor, when she had almost instantly recovered from being thrown into a wall. She realized that, though she was much smaller, in this pokemon body her abilities were nearly superhuman.

"Don't worry about her," Erika was saying to Dan, "pokemon are made of stronger stuff than humans. It'll take a lot more than that to significantly hurt one of them."

"Hey," Missy said in a gloating tone to Ruby, "was that a good enough show for a weak little tramp like me?"

Her rival could only respond with a dissatisfied "Hmph!"

---

The next day Erika introduced Dan to the officer heading the investigation of Celadon's disappearances, Officer Suzanne. (Dan had been astonished to learn that her name wasn't 'Jenny', for some reason).

Suzanne, a dark-skinned woman in her mid-thirties with curly black hair, was less than pleased about Erika forcing this unknown into the investigation, but rules were rules.

Over the next few days, Dan and co. scoured Celadon looking for any clue to the disappearances. From what they uncovered, it looked less and less like supernatural disappearances and more like human-perpetrated abductions, however.

Dan found himself conflicted inwardly that such a thing could happen in this world; he had felt sure that it was less corrupt than his reality, by nature as fiction; wasn't it?

Of course, spending time with Erika lightened his mood considerably. The two often spent evenings together in her mansion, dining together, sharing jokes and laughter, and generally finding pleasure in one another's company. Missy was not appreciative of that scenario, and said as much to her fellow pokemon.

"What's wrong, little girl?" asked Ruby sarcastically. "I thought he was just a human friend and there was no jealousy? Or was my prediction on the boat right?"

Missy had no answer to that.

Eventually one day, Officer Suzanne called in the team. "I believe," she said, "that Team Rocket has opened up a branch here in Celdaon."

That got everyone's attention. Erika turned to Dan and explained, "Team Rocket is a criminal organization that specializes in pokemon trafficking and the like."

_I know,_ thought Dan with gloom. He was depressed; he thought he had been onto something, perhaps a way home when he came to Celdaon. _I guess I'll have to look elsewhere,_ he thought.

"We're currently looking for their base of operations," continued Suzanne. "It's very hard to track them."

"Why don't you just find a Rocket and follow him?" Dan asked.

"If you can point out a random member of organized crime, be my guest, Mr. Fawcett."

Dan was confused. "Wait, don't they wear, like, a uniform or something? With a big R to symbolize that they're a Rocket?"

Suzanne gave a snort. "Of course not. They'd be slammed down in a minute flat. They operate in secret."

_I guess that this world really is different than how I encountered it back home,_ Dan thought.

Dan spent that evening trying to think of how to get home, but to no avail. _I may be stuck here forever,_ he thought in depression. _Argh! I need some way to let off some steam!_ And then the thought stuck him. _Why not go waste a few Rockets? I wonder…this world is different, but maybe their Celadon HQ is still in the basement of the Game Corner? I hope it is; Rockets are always easy to beat in the games. It shouldn't be too difficult just to beat a couple._

Dan gathered up his pokemon and Missy, and went to go find Erika. "Hey," he said, "I'm going out."

"This late?" she asked. "What for?"

_No sense in lying._ "I'm going to try to find Team Rocket's base, and maybe fight a couple of them."

Erika, not knowing he had a clear idea of where their base was, gave a chuckle. "Good luck. Be safe."

And then she closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed him.

She drew back her head, looking at the shocked Dan with mischievous eyes. "Alright?"

"A-All right," he said in embarassment.

She smiled and went to kiss him again, but a sound stopped her.

"Ee-**VEE**!"

Startled, Erika turned to see Missy staring up at them with an expression of what could only be described as mixed shock and retribution. "Eevee! Eevee Vee Eevee!" she said angrily.

Erika sighed. "I don't think your Eevee likes me very much."

Dan gave a shaky smile. "Give her time, I guess."

And before anything else could be said between them, he darted off, Missy trailing behind him.

_That…that was unexpected…_ he thought shakily. _It's alright…this world is just data…isn't it?_ This new development had shaken his views up even more. He just ran to the Game Corner, hoping to drown his confusion in a little self-indulgence.

Missy's mind was racing even faster. _I--Why did I do that?!_ she asked herself, her stormy grey Eevee legs a blur as she sped to keep up with Dan. _He's just a friend, really. Nothing else. Right?_ She certainly hadn't felt anything back home, and had even said as much before they were transported here. _I shouldn't have interrupted. That girl kissing him is fine. I don't care._ But as the image of Erika and Dan's kiss sprang to mind, her eyes welled up with tears. _Dammit!_ She thought. _I hate this place!_

---

Dan's suspicions were right; just like he was used to, Team Rocket's hideout was based in the city's Game Corner. He snuck inside, and began looking for a few goons to thrash.

"Where are all the grunts?" Dan whispered as much to himself as to his pokemon, who had all been released and were patrolling the hideout with him. "There should be some. Oh! If I find some captive pokemon, then they'll likely have a guard of some sort. I can get my kicks by wasting a Rocket, and free the pokemon too. Storm! Try to lead me to large numbers of pokemon."

Missy complied, though she still gave her traditional response of, "My name is _Missy_, you idiot." She sped off in the direction of a large mass of pokemon scent, thinking thoughts of _I feel like a dog. Some sort of bloodhound._ However, the degrading predicament of her situation had been nullified recently, as she deciding helping Dan (who was, after all, unaware of her situation) was the best thing she could do.

Dan rounded the corner and found a large number of crates, all filled with captive pokemon. In the center was a man with his back turned to the group. Dan ordered Nemo to give a little squirt of water onto the man's back to get his attention. As the water soaked his back, the man turned around. Dan began the taunt he had prepared on his way over here: "Get ready to meet your maker, you Rocket slime!" But he fumbled with the words upon seeing the man's odd appearance.

He was dressed in very old-fashioned, but fine-looking clothing that wouldn't have looked out of place in European courts of the 1800s. He was dressed in a richly embroidered blue silk coat with gold buttons over a ruffled white blouse. Fine black dress pants flowed down his legs, and were caught by soft white stockings that sprung out of polished, black buckled shoes. He wore an extravagant mask made of pearl that covered his face from his hairline to just below his nose, allowing full view of his mouth and his extravagant head of woody brown hair. A deep crimson handkerchief was tucked near his neck. On many people the ensemble would have appeared comical, but this man spoke and moved with such extravagant flair and grace that it appeared natural, as though he had just leapt out of the past.

He gave a smile on seeing Dan and his pokemon, and tipped in a coordinated bow. "Masque at your service, good sir," he said in a clipped and (at least to Dan) indiscernible accent that seemed a conglomeration of several European tounges. "With a -que at the end, not a -k, you'll understand," He added hastily with his eyes still facing the floor.

After a few seconds of silence, Dan let out, "Oh my god. You look like the Phantom of the Opera!"

"The Phantom of the what?" asked Masque good-naturedly.

But Dan had shaken himself and prepared for the trouncing he had prepared himself to give. "Fight me!" he said, putting Nemo in the forefront. The normally shy Seadra did his best to look eager for a fight.

But Masque gave a soft laugh. "Come now," he said, "surely if we can't settle our problems without violence, doesn't that make us less than human? Of course," he continued without waiting for a reply from Dan, "most of my colleagues would respond by saying, 'There's a word for things less than human. That word is ''pokemon''!' I, of course, disagree," Masque said with another smile. "I've always been able to communicate with pokemon--and humans, for that matter--on an intimate wavelength. I can see their hopes and pains, their desires, their personalities. I suppose," he mused, "that's why Giovanni has me working down here. He wants me to desensitize the pokemon we steal and make them feel comfortable serving new masters. Ah, let me give you a demonstration of my abilities!"

"That one," he said, pointing to Nemo, "is very shy. That one is a bumbler," the operatic man continued, pointing to Armor, " and that one; hm?" His finger was resting over Missy. "Strange…" he murmured, before keeping quiet for several seconds. Finally, he spoke again. "This one," he said quietly, "is very sad, and very confused. And, oh," he said in a throwaway voice, gesturing towards Ruby, "that pokemon is a jerk."

"You see," Masque said, turning his back to the group, "I really prefer to observe and be with pokemon, not fight them. You can take your fight somewhere else; that hallway," he said pointing to a corridor, "should let you sate your violent appetite."

"Alright," Dan said, tired of the strange man's company, "But first, I'm releasing all these pokemon."

But Masque reached inside his coat and pulled out what looked like a walky-talky with a switch on it. "If I press this," he said, "every grunt and goon in this base will come running to this spot. You'll be overwhelmed. I will leave this alone if you leave this room but," he warned, "you try to free these pokemon and I'm pressing it."

"How do I know you won't just press the moment I take off?" Dan accused.

"Because I am not fond of Giovanni, or this organization in general," sighed Masque. "I'd like to cause a little trouble for them, but not at the expense of my safety. Here," Masque said, opening his arms wide, "I'm a big target. If I was trying to trick you, would I do this?"

"I--I don't--fine, I guess." Dan said. "Thanks." And he turned and sped down that hallway.

After he left, Masque turned back to his work and began muttering to himself. "Could it be…?" he said to nobody in particular. "That Eevee…is it even possible? Hm. I wonder."


	5. Chapter 5

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 09/10/2008 on deviantART. The character of Yana is a cameo of a friend from deviantART, and does not belong to me.

***

"Gotcha, you stinkin'…Rockets…" Dan faltered as he dashed into a room, ready for a fight, only to find no less than ten grunts staring back at him. The foolishness of his endeavor struck him full on.

Realizing that making a dash for it would be unwise, Dan chose to make the best of his poorly thought out strategy and ordered an assault from his pokemon before the Rockets could make a move to act.

_Oh, brother,_ Missy thought tiredly as she tackled a group of stunned grunts, then made an about-face to charge at a girl who looked as though she was going to send out a hand and rolled away across the floor.

"Good work, Storm!" Dan congratulated his partner from across the room.

_It's MISSY!_ Missy couldn't help but correct him, even in the midst of a battle frenzy.

Meanwhile, Missy's teammates -- Armor the Muk, Nemo the Seadra, and Ruby the Ponyta -- were also joining the fray. Nemo and Armor had teamed up to batter down a group of about five Rockets. Ruby, encased in fire, was pursuing a trio of youthful (and panicking) Rockets.

The fight was over very quickly; Dan's pokemon succeeded in knocking out all the grunts before they managed to send out any pokemon.

"Good job, gang." Dan congratulated his pokemon with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing, eh?" Armor replied nonchalantly.

"Hmph. Glad to be of service, Sir Dan." That was Ruby, with an air of snobbery.

"…um, thank you, Boss…" Even after nearly a week of traveling with the group, Nemo was still ridiculously shy.

_Why are they bothering responding to the praise when he can't understand them?_ Missy mused in silence. _Our immediate issue should be escaping before any more Rockets show up…and then, getting back to our home dimension! Back to where I'm a girl, and not some kind of bizarre animal!_ Although Missy didn't blame Dan for not realizing she was his best friend's younger sister transformed (honestly, who would?) it still sort of stung that after all this time, nearly a month and a half, she still hadn't managed to convey it to him.

"Alright," Dan said, apparently empowered by his team's victory, "let's go fight some more."

Missy didn't think much of that plan. Dashing up to him and putting her paws on his legs, she got him to look at her and she began vehemently shaking her head. _Please think rationally,_ she thought. _Please just leave this awful place and head back to that Erika lady's house--_ But the thought of Erika, Dan's hostess, brought to mind the memory of her goodbye kiss to Dan. Though Missy repeatedly told herself (and others) that her relationship with Dan was nothing more than a convoluted form of friendship, since he didn't guess at her humanity, the thought of that kiss still turned Missy's innards into a form of ice. _Maybe spending a little more time here and away from Erika wouldn't be too bad after all,_ she thought.

Just as Missy came to that decision and Dan was trying to decide the little grey Eevee's thoughts, a siren triggered.

"Oh no," Dan groaned, "we've been found out! That Masque person must have tattled after all! Come on!" Dan led his pokemon down the hallway once more, but through the twists and turns the group got lost; and all the while, the alarm blared out.

Dan burst in onto and empty room. "This isn't the way out," he said, but as he turned to leave a pair of Rockets ambushed him, their pokemon leaping out. Dan called his own pokemon to action.

"Armor, bring down that Paras! Storm and Nemo, tag-team that Raticate! Ruby, eliminate that Magneton!

Missy's Seadra companion shot a burst of ink at the Raticate's eyes, intending to blind the creature. The verminous pokemon dodged to the side, but Nemo's move was a feint; Missy stuck the Raticate just as it landed, knocking it onto its back; a tackle from Nemo's body, studded with poisonous spines, easily finished off their opponent. Armor was easily defeating the Paras, squishing it into unconsciousness with his enormous bulk. Ruby had dispatched the magnet pokemon almost immediately; the Steel-type's lustrous body was no match against her tempered flames.

"Okay, good," Dan breathed, "we're safe for now."

"Oh, _really_?!" came a mocking voice from down the hall. Dan and co. turned to see a young man of about twenty standing there jauntily. He had hair that was dyed a shade of midnight blue, and steely black eyes. His skin was a richly dark latin shade; he wasn't very tall, but his subtly toned muscles and the dominating attitude projected on his face seemed to magnify his stature.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Dan asked wearily.

The man smiled. "The name's Rico. Rico Tyler. And _you_ must be the little rat scurrying around. It just so happens I'm top battling honcho here. Boss told me to bring you in. So! Wanna do this easily or not?"

"I--" Dan began.

"Didn't think so," Rico smirked. "Brute! You're up!"

And he sent out a Machamp. "Brute! Smack 'em down with your martial arts!" As Rico's pokemon made a beeline towards Dan's group, the boy sent out a pokemon in a panic. "A-Armor! Go bring down that Machamp!" The Muk lunged towards Brute, but Rico's pokemon easily sidestepped his opponent and dealt a shattering chop on the poison pokemon's back. Although Armor seemed to take massive damage, the Machamp drew its hand back in pain; Armor's acidic body had harmed it.

"Damn," Rico muttered under his breath. "Brute! You know what you gotta do! PROJECTILE, NOW!!" The Machamp actually knocked off a piece of the wall and tossed it towards the Muk.

"Armor, brace yourself!" Dan cried out, but it was too late; the rubble stuck Armor, KO'ing him. "Go, Ruby!" Dan cried, sending out his toughest battler.

"Brute, watch those flames!" Rico warned. "Strike on the body only!" The Machamp lunged forwards, intending to punch Ruby, but the pony pokemon leapt back and shot a stream of fire at her opponent; the blaze threw Brute against the wall on impact. Before the Machamp could react, Ruby dashed up and delivered a kick with her hooves right to the fighting pokemon's face; the Machamp was down.

Rico looked stunned that his fighter had been beaten. "Wow," he said finally, "that pokemon's tougher than it looks!"

"Courtesy of Sir Blaine!" Ruby laughed, strutting about in the wake of her victory.

Rico had a smile now. "Let's fight fire with fire! Go, Dante!" He sent out another fire pokemon, a Charizard. Dan made a choking sound of fear, but Ruby was all smiles.

"Don't worry little girl," she laughed back for Missy's benefit, "my old master taught me how to handle other fire-types! Watch this!"

The Charizard released a stream of fire towards Ruby; when it nearly struck her, however, it instead veered into separate flame veins that fed her ember mane; when Ruby had absorbed all of Dante's fire into her own blaze, she sucked it inwardly and shot it out as a sheer wave of heat (no fire involved) which was so scorching it was even visible to the naked eye. It stuck Dante like a cannonball, toppling the dragon pokemon like a scaly oak.

Rico didn't bother with taunts this time; his face was a mask of concentration as he sent out his third pokemon. "Go, Tower!" A Graveler unfurled itself with a devlish grin.

"Ruby, that thing is impervious to flames!" Dan called cautiously. "Use your hooves instead!" Ruby obeyed, making a dash. The Graveler just grinned even wider, and furled itself into a ball. "Ruby, he's going to try to shield himself! Increase your momentum!" The Ponyta complied, dashing even faster. As she made a leap to lead into a kick, Rico opened his mouth.

"Now, Tower!" Tower quickly unfurled himself and grabbed his surprised opponent by the hooves, swinging her into the wall before she had a chance to react. As Ruby collapsed, the floor cracked and split open as Tower summoned a volley of sand from the depths of the earth; it cascaded into Ruby. Blaine's prized pokemon was strong, but she was also frail; the attack knocked her out.

"That's okay," Dan shakily said, calling back his strongest fighter, "Nemo, you can take down that Ground-type no problem."

The Seadra shakily took the stage and launched a jet of water at the Graveler, but it summoned more sand to shield itself. Nemo soon completely drained himself and sat there panting exhaustedly; Tower used that moment to launch himself into the air with his four arms; the Graveler came crashing down with all it's weight right on Nemo's head. The water-type didn't stand a chance.

"St-storm," Dan said, realizing his inevitable defeat "you're up."

As Missy took the stage, realizing this opponent was far superior to the Bellsprout she had faced in Erika's mansion, she tried not to gulp as her opponent taunted her. "What's the matter, little Eevee," Tower rumbled in a deep, basso voice, "don't like being broken?"

He led with a punch; Missy, with superior speed, dodged, and tried the same trick she did back against Erika's Bellsprout; running in circles to gain momentum while disorienting her opponent. However, upon seeing her begin to dash, the Graveler gave a laugh and summoned a massive pillar of stone to break through the earth directly in her path. Missy was going far too fast to slow down or dodge, and she only saw a massive stalagmite seem to grow larger and larger in her vision until it was so huge and coming closer and--

Her world went dark.

---

"So," Giovanni said, looking over his hands at the boyish intruder seated before him, "you're the little sneak who's been playing games with my subordinates." He then grew silent, staring at Dan, seated unceremoniously in a chair in front of him. Behind Dan, he heard Rico give a chuckle.

_Don't freak out,_ Dan thought as he locked eyes with Team Rocket's supreme leader, _Just remember this is only a game. It's not real. It can't be real. You're in no actual danger._

He wasn't convincing himself very effectively.

Finally speaking again, Giovanni asked, "How did you find my hideout so quickly?"

Even under pressure, Dan's cynical head allowed him to come up with a lie quickly. "I--I was in the game corner and saw some suspicious people fooling around. Next thing I knew, I followed them in."

Giovanni closed his eyes, and told Rico, "Leave me. Inform the grunts to be more cautious in the casino from now on."

Rico left with a bow and a "Yes, sir."

Giovanni stared at Dan. "You're lucky that my installed security cameras are not yet functioning. I would have eliminated you far sooner."

Dan felt a pang as he noted another difference between the pokemon he knew from back home and the reality of this world.

Giovanni snapped his fingers, and Dan felt a presence at his throat. Looking down, he realized that it was a Scyther's blade; the mantis pokemon's breath could be felt on his neck. Dan hadn't even noticed its presence in the room.

"With another snap," Giovanni noted, "this pokemon could--and would--decapitate you. Easily."

_It's only a game, it's only a game, it's only a game, it's only a game..._

"You see," Giovanni said quietly, standing up from his chair, "many pokemon operate under Team Rocket, but only the most lethal, bloodthirsty, vicious, _**murderous**_ pokemon are allowed the privilege of serving me directly."

Behind Dan, the Scyther gave a soft hiss.

"But," Giovanni said, "most of the pokemon we take are previously owned by average trainers such as yourselves. Masque tells me it is easier to corrupt captive pokemon to my services simply by giving them the sheer knowledge that their trainer is alive. I find your team to be of particular potential, especially that Ponyta; and, that Eevee's coloration makes it an absolute treasure. So, you live. For the time being."

The Scyther shoved Dan to the ground, and grunts entered and took him to a cell.

---

Miisy woke up to find a large group of pokemon huddled over her.

"Is she up?" "She okay?" "Look at that color!" "She got beat pretty hard." "Move aside!" "I think she's coming to!"

Missy opened her eyes fully and saw a Seadra standing over her worriedly; Nemo. Getting up, moaning, she asked, "Ohhhhhhhhh, where are we, Nemo? Is Dan here?"

"Um…this is a place where they only keep pokemon," Nemo whispered, driven nearly paranoid by the large number of strange pokemon in his vicinity. "I don't think Boss Dan is in here; Ruby and Armor aren't here either. It's just us."

Looking around, Missy saw large numbers of captive pokemon, all of whom seemed in bad shape. Sensing a presence behind her, she nearly jumped back; a female Pikachu with big, curious eyes and a petulant face was almost right next to her, studying her closely.

"Um, can I help you?" Missy asked, perturbed.

The Pikachu, down on all fours, circled Missy. Her head to one side, and she cast a studious gaze over Missy before facing her. Then she gave a smile and asked, "You're human, aren't you?"

Behind Missy, Nemo gave a gasp and whispered, "I--I didn't even tell anyone!"

Ignoring the plethora of whisperings circling about, Missy replied, "Um, yes, I am. Or, was."

"I thought so," the Pikachu said happily, sitting up with a smile. "I've never seen that before, but I can just sort of tell. I'm hardly ever wrong."

"Um, alright…" Missy said, obviously a little put off.

"Don't be worried," the Pikachu said, noticing Missy's discomfort, "I'm nice. I might be a little weird, though; I've been cooped up here for so long, after all."

Missy was just even more confused until a Doduo came up and informed her: "This is Yana. She's been in the clutches of Team Rocket for _years_. The Team's best desensitizer--those are bad humans who trick us into liking Team Rocket, by the way--is named Masque."

Missy remembered the oddly dressed Man she and Dan had ran into; he was dressed extravagantly and spoke with a manner that seemed a little out there.

"He's really weird," continued the Doduo, "but he can make _any_ pokemon want to serve those bad Rockets--except Yana. He brought her in one day and tried to do his thing, but she just ignored him. He tried all his best tricks but it still wasn't enough. It just eats him up; he ferries her around in captivity wherever he goes and occasionally tries to decant her again, but she just won't crack. It drives him insane."

"An eternal prisoner," Yana sighed, stretching. "Sometimes I feel like pretending to go along with it just to get out of these endless cells and see the world again, but Masque can read minds so he'd know I was faking it."

"Oh," Missy said sorrowfully; suddenly, her own situation didn't seem that bad. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't bother," Yana said, "it's more boring than anything. But," she said, looking once more at Missy with those big eyes, "what's wrong with you? I can see that you're sad."

"Well," Missy began, before the Pikachu stopped her once more.

"Oh, wait!" Yana said with a self-chiding smile. "I forgot to ask your name. And you are?"

"Well," Missy said, "my 'trainer', Dan, calls me Storm, but my human name is Missy."

"Missy," Yana said slowly, rolling the name off of her tongue; almost playing with it, in fact. "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you." Missy said, glad at the compliment.

Yana smiled up at her Eevee compatriot. "You know, I think we could be great friends."

---

Dan was thrown into a small cell with one other human. Right next door, sharing a wall in fact, was a cell containing four pokemon; Ruby and Armor, as well as a sullen-looking Oddish and a female Electabuzz. "Ruby! Armor!" Dan cried with worry, sticking his hands through the bars that separated their cells; Ruby nuzzled his left hand while Armor draped slime over his right one in a loving manner. "Are you okay, guys?" Dan asked, shaking the sludge off of his hand absentmindedly.

"Of course they're okay," muttered the decrepit man in the corner of Dan's cell. "Giovanni would never cause too much damage to potential soldiers. As soon as they're reprogrammed, however, _you_ happen to be expendable."

"I'm sorry, uh…"

"Davis." The man said sullenly.

"Davis, then. Are those other two pokemon yours?"

Davis gave a coarse laugh. "The Oddish and Electabuzz? No, my pokemon were taken about a week ago. I've managed to live this long, though, because Giovanni has a use planned out for me. Tomorrow, some grunts and their pokemon are going to train in the use of projectile attacks through a game of target practice." He gave a world-weary smile. "I'm the target."

Horrified, Dan turned back to the wall and whispered to his pokemon, "We've gotta get out of here. And fast."

---

"I see," Yana said at the end of Missy's tale. "So, you've been trapped in that body the whole time?"

"That's right."

Yana stretched out and lay back on the ground. "I can't believe," she whispered with awe, "that this world and everything in it is nothing more than a children's game back in another dimension."

"I don't know," Missy said, trying to stave of depression in Yana and the other captive pokemon, "you look real to me, and this body feels real too."

"Well--" Yana began, but a blaring blue light cut off conversations. "Ah," Yana said, "Another pokemon's going to be desensitized."

A burly grunt walked in and looked around, seeing all the pokemon--except Yana--cower against the walls. "There you are," he said, walking over and picking up Missy by the scruff of the neck, leaving her helpless, "we're going to have some fun with you." He growled.

As Missy was led out, Yana shouted after her, "If you get the opportunity, give Masque a good bite for me, will you?"

---

The grunt took Missy to a sterilized room with white counters and a table in the center with straps. Strapping her down, he left; and Masque walked in.

"Oh, it's you," the extravagantly dressed man called in a singsong voice through his pearl mask. "I was wondering if I was going to see you. I promise, I'm not the one who ratted on your trainer, oh no. He got caught by his own stupidity. But let's not change the subject, shall we little Eevee? I'd like to get this over with.

"Let's begin." And he closed his eyes and held out his hand about six inches from Missy's body.

Her fur began standing on end as a strange feeling permeated the room. "What's…what're you doing?" she whispered in confusion.

"Oh," Masque said, opening his eyes, "you're a very sad and very confused little pokemon, aren't you? Just like I told your trainer earlier. Why so sorrowful, little Eevee? Life could be worse. I could make it worse," he said with a chuckle. "But I don't do that. I'm a nice guy, I promise. See?"

He pressed a button on a remote laying on one of the counters; a screen flickered down, showing a picture of Dan's cell.

"I've convinced the boss to leave your trainer alone. Isn't that nice? I'm the only nice person you'll find in this building," he said cruelly, leaning down so his face was near hers, "I promise you."

Although she was tied down, Missy strained to lean forward and give the creepy desensitizer a bite.

"Feisty," he sighed, standing up straight, "I hate your type. They take forever and always leave me in a bad mood. And I hate being in a bad mood.

"Well," Masque said lowly, "let's see what's floating around in that little head of yours, shall we?" And he placed his hands on either side of her head, being careful to avoid her mouth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Missy suddenly grew drowsy and light-headed. _What is he doing?_ she thought in a tumult of sleepiness; images sprang unbidden to her mind, ranging everywhere from her seventh birthday party to the storm she viewed the last night she spent at Blaine's. Her mind swam through confusion and memory, and when Masque took his hands off and she snapped back into a normal train of thought, she couldn't have said if she had been out for ten seconds or ten weeks.

Masque opened his eyes and looked down at the little furry form below him with a twisted form of astonishment. "My," he said softly after nearly a minute of silence. "my, my, my. I think I've run into the second pokemon ever that I have no chance of subduing. Carlita!" he called; a female assistant in a black sweater came in. "Take this one back; she's very unique."

As the woman began undoing Missy's bonds, the strange man bent down and whispered in her ear, "Right…Missy?"

She was stuck speechless.

Straightening up, Masque ran a hand through his brown hair as he gave her a wink and a devilish smile. Straightening his elaborate coat, he stalked out of the room.

"Wait!" Missy called after him after regaining her voice. "Come back! Do you know?! Tell Dan! PLEASE! COME BACK!! TELL DAN!! TELL ANYBODY!!! **PLEASE**!!!!"

But he was already gone.


	6. Chapter 6

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 09/21/2008 on deviantART. I…really don't have anything else to say about this chapter.

***

"He _knows_." Missy was almost in epilepsy, she was so distressed. Back in the holding cell, both Yana and Nemo were attempting to calm her down.

"So what?" Yana was saying reasonably. "What will he do? Masque is an odd fellow; none of the other Team Rocket members will believe a word he says about you being human." The Pikachu gave a wide grin. "The only other real person he could tell would be your trainer, Dan. And it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if he found out, would it? Isn't that what you've been trying to accomplish for so long?"

"Y-Yes…" Missy whispered.

"Um, Missy," Nemo whispered, "I think…I don't know for sure, but that Masque…I don't think he likes the other Rockets."

"That doesn't automatically make him a good person!" Missy shot back in distress.

"Yeah," Yana said with a lack of her usual cheeriness, "I mean, he's ferried _me_ around in captivity for years…and his trade is essentially brainwashing pokemon. And it just makes it even worse that he doesn't like Giovanni; he knows they're despicable, and yet he does their dirty work for them anyways?! What kind of person just does something against their morals like that?"

"And he's crazy," Missy whispered in fear, remembering the sadism-laden wordgames he had used to toy with Missy's mind. "He's a complete nutjob." And here she started to weep. "For so long, I've been trying to convince somebody--anybody!!--that Storm, the grey and silver colored little Eevee is really Missy, a human trapped in a pokemon's body…and, of all people, a mind-reading criminal _**psychopath**_ is the one who finally figures it out! Why, why, WHY can't anything in this world go right for a change?!"

Nemo and Yana looked down at their comrade with sympathy. Yana tried to shift the conversation away from that depressing overtone.

"So," she said softly, "what does it feel like?"

"W-what?"

"Being suddenly forced into that body…what's it like?"

Nemo looked over at the Pikachu in horror, his Seadra eyes widening in astonishment. 'Surely asking her that question NOW will only make it worse?!' His expression seemed to say. But Yana responded with a coy smile and a wink. She knew what she was doing.

"What's it…like?" The sheer scope of the question had put a halt on Missy's tears. "It's…it's…listen, Yana, humans aren't like you pokemon. You change, you grow. You _evolve_. Us? We're never changing. Our bodies just stay the same. To be like a regular human for so long, and then suddenly forced to transform into something different…"

"But," Yana interjected, "humans DO change! When you're born, you're a squabbling infant barely a few inches long, right? And yet adult human males routinely grow to be close to six feet high!"

"It's different," Missy began arguing, but she was cut off by the Pikachu.

"How?" Yana asked earnestly. "How so?"

Missy had no real answer. "Alright," she conceded, "but still, hear me out. Yana, you'd evolve into a Raichu, right?"

"In the right conditions, yes, I would."

"But what if you began evolving, but instead of being a Raichu, you all of a sudden became a Charmander? Or a Ponyta?"

Yana thought deeply to that question. "I--I guess…it would shock me."

"It wouldn't just shock you," Missy pressed, "it would completely annihilate your sense of identity and self. All your life, you know your body will change, as it will inevitably do, but you know exactly the kinds of changes that are coming, and you brace yourself for those changes! And then, for something completely unexpected to happen, and for you to find yourself in a body so utterly foreign to what you knew and what you were expecting, it's…it's shattering. It just…eats away at your mind, at your soul. You feel like an alien inside a misfit suit; the sensations are all wrong, and your mind has to rapidly cope with this new form. You have to account for things that were never significant before, and you find yourself at a loss when effects that were previously important are suddenly nonexistent. And, eventually, your mind and body begin to synchronize…things that were completely unfamiliar before become standard to you, and even as you begin adjusting, you can't shake the feeling that you're betraying your old body, and there's an omnipresent fear in the back of your mind that you'll completely adjust, and forget the old you forever…"

When she began her description, Missy had been quiet and close to tears, but as she progressed further and further along, her voice grew stronger and stronger, and her resolve strengthened. At the end, Yana, Nemo, and the other pokemon stood attentively in quiet awe as Missy stood up fiercely speaking. Yana's prediction was correct: the topic had strengthened Missy after all.

The moment didn't last long, however. A hissing sound came from behind the group.

"My, you're eloquent."

The pokemon turned and saw, standing outside their cell, an enormous humanoid insect creature with green skin, zephyr wings, and lethal cutting blades where a human's hands would be. A Scyther.

He gave a soft smile and pointed the tip of his blade towards Missy. "You must be the 'human' pokemon my master was talking about. I didn't know you were the Eevee with unique colors. Hmph. You look weak." He flexed his blades menacingly. "But your trainer is even more pathetic. I know he's yours because his scent is all over you. That was such a weak-willed, cowardly human who sat in front of Giovanni earlier today. I _so_ wanted to run my blade across his supple throat…but for some reason, the one I serve wants him alive. And if my Lord wants somebody alive, I've learned not to spoil his fun. Still, there might always be tomorrow…"

And with a shriek, the Scyther spun about and attacked the wall, leaving an enormous slash mark in the formerly solid concrete.

"Giovanni has deemed it fit that my talents are best spent guarding you weak fools while he's away on business. So boring…but still, I enjoy the chance to exercise intimidation."

The other pokemon chattered nervously, but Yana whispered into Missy's ear, "I think I've just come up with an escape plan."

---

Dan was lying on his back in his cell, trying to fall asleep as his pokemon and their companions had done in the adjacent prison. Behind him, the other prisoner was making rustling sounds. Undoubtedly he was nervous in his final hours; Dan's cellmate was scheduled to die tomorrow.

Soft footsteps echoing down the hall drew his attention.

He looked up through the bars to see a shadowy cloaked figure standing in the hallway. The shroud of the cloth completely obscured the figure's face, and when it spoke, a voice scrambler made the original vocal tone indiscernible.

"Take this." It said, pulling out a gloved hand and poking it through the bars. Dan took it; it was an elaborate key with a small watch attached to the keychain.

"I've fed those who monitor the cameras a sedative," the figure stated plainly. "Nobody knows I'm speaking to you. Tonight is your chance to escape; Giovanni has recently left to attend to matters of pressing importance in Saffron City after making certain the camera system was up and running, and Rico is in charge."

Dan remembered Rico Tyler. Giovanni's second-in-command, the expert battler had crushed Dan's entire team and ensured their imprisonment.

"Listen carefully," the shrouded one continued. "the sedative won't last too long, but exactly two hours from now the entire base's electronic system will go haywire due to a virus I planted. That key you have in your hand is a universal key from Giovanni's office; it will unlock any door in this building. When the watch reads two hours from now, use it to free yourself, the man behind you, and the pokemon in the adjacent cell. Your other two pokemon are elsewhere, I have not the time to say exactly the location, but it's in the opposite direction of the exit, so you'll have to move. The camera virus will dissipate forty-five minutes after it takes effect, but expect there to be mass panic amongst the Rockets in about ten."

Dan stared down at the key in amazement, and asked, "Who _are_ you?"

"I have not the time to explain, but I will find you again and properly introduce myself. Hide the key and take discreet looks at the watch. Remember: two hours."

And then the figure was gone. For the briefest of moments Dan's brain cried out in suspicion, but he soon reasoned he had nothing to lose from trusting the stranger.

Gently waking up Ruby and Armor with calls, Dan summoned them over and told them the plan. "Will you inform those other two pokemon?" he said, motioning towards the Oddish and Electabuzz in the adjacent cell. As his pokemon nodded, Dan crawled over to his fellow prisoner, Davis, and whispered the plan to him.

"Wake up, eh," Armor whispered urgently as Ruby tried to nudge the other two pokemon awake.

"HUH?!" The Electabuzz said, suddenly jumping up and looking about in confusion and excitement. "Who? Huh? What? What-is-it-what-is-it-what-is-it-what-is-it-what-is-it-what-is-it-what-"

"Shh!!" Ruby quieted the excitable Electabuzz down, more to stop the annoyance of her persistent questions than to actually keep her quiet; after all, humans were incapable of understanding pokemon speech.

"Sir Dan," she began, "has a way to help all of us escape in two hours."

"That's right, eh," added Armor, "and Mister Dan needs us all to help him out, eh?"

"Oh sure I can do that I can handle it no problem it will be so cool to finally break free I hope we can find our trainer and maybe our teammates and--" The Electabuzz's tirade was cut off by her companion.

"Listen," the Oddish said slowly, "our trainer's gone 'missing', which probably means thanks to the Rockets we'll never see him again. And," he added in a cynical voice, "all of our teammates have been successfully desensitized by that evil Masque fellow. It's just us and one other cell of independent pokemon."

"Well," Armor said, "you'll still help regardless, eh?"

The Oddish gave an uncaring sigh. "Whatever," he said.

---

"It's time," whispered Yana to Missy. The Eevee nodded in response. "Hey, you walking cheese grater," she taunted to the dozing Scyther in a voice containing as much of an insulting drive as she could muster, "I bet you don't realize just how low your boss thinks of you!"

The Scyther, leaning against the wall in an attempt at sleep, opened one eye and leered at the grey Eevee in the cell. "If Giovanni didn't think you were worth a fortune," he whispered with menace, "your front leg would be rolling down the hall _right this moment_. And," he said, stretching up and turning to face his taunter head-on, "I'll have you know I happen to be my Lord's favorite pokemon, and he values my services quite highly."

"Oh?" Missy said bravely. "If your so important to your so-called 'Lord', then why didn't he take you with him?"

"What on _earth_ are you talking about?" the Scyther said, absentmindedly using the point of one of his blades to pick at something in his teeth.

"Giovanni! He left you behind!"

"Oh, him." The Scyther yawned. "If you're trying to insinuate that Giovanni doesn't make use of my services, I'd be glad to refresh your memory on the trainer I terrorized earlier today…"

"But that's just it," Missy said, "that's all you do is intimidation, isn't it?" When the Scyther didn't say anything, she took it as a grudging acknowledgement of the accuracy of her statement. "Giovanni just uses you to flex some muscle, but you don't really do anything. You're like a tool to him, but just a showy one; I bet your blade has become dulled from a lack of use!"

Missy had no way of knowing this, but calling a Scyther's blade dull is one of the most deathly insults amongst the species. The Scyther turned and shot his tormentor a look of pure hatred.

"What. Did. You. Just. _**SAY?!?**_" He roared in fury.

Missy, realizing she had touched a nerve, continued along that path. "Yeah," she said, "you try to intimidate us with that fancy cut in the wall? Hah! Any pokemon can take a chunk out of a common wall like that! You know I'm right; that cut in concrete is the best your so-called 'edge' can cleave!"

"IT'S NOT ONLY CONCRETE I CAN CLEAVE!!" The Scyther was almost frothing at the mouth, he was so furious. "YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE POKEMON AT WHOSE SWORDS HEADS HAVE ROLLED, AND WHOLE LEGIONS OF POKEMON AND PEOPLE HAVE FLED!! YOU THINK I'M DULL?! HOW DULL IS **THIS**!"

And, with such speed that Missy's heightened Eevee reflexes could barely catch it, the mantis pokemon spun his blades, cutting through the hybrid steel bars of the cell like they were butter; the metal appeared to almost melt in his path, and the pieces seemed to fall slowly to the ground like ribbons.

The moment a hole was even remotely present, Yana let loose a discharge of electricity through the available space; it slammed into the Scyther, taking advantage of his Flying-type, and sent him careening back.

"Oh, that's very sharp," the Pikachu said pleasantly as she built up more charge, "and thanks for freeing us, by the way!" Another jolt flung her opponent into the wall.

Of course, the Scyther was ridiculously high-leveled, and Yana's shocks really did nothing more than anger and briefly stun him. As he got back up, Missy used advantage of the brief slowdown he experienced due to the aftereffect of the electricity, and sped through the hole in the wall and slammed into her opponent before he could react. "Come on!" she screamed. "Get him!"

Pokemon poured from the cell and began assaulting the mantis in front of them. Even with their low levels and degenerate condition, it was still thirty-to-one; the Scyther was soon unconscious. "Come on!" said Missy, leading the other pokemon down the hallway to freedom.

---

In the meantime, Dan's watch said that it was time for an escape. He unlocked the cell gate and hurriedly freed the four captive pokemon next door, knowing it was only a matter of time until Rico discovered the discrepancy in the electronics system. "Now," he said, marshaling his pokemon, Davis, as well as the Oddish and Electabuzz, "I have some other friends here, so we'll have to go save them first--"

"Screw that!" Davis said in a frenzy. "This is the only chance I've got, and for the love of Arceus I'm _taking it_!" And the former prisoner bolted in the direction of the exit.

"Well," he said in depression, "are you all still with me?" Ruby, Armor, and the Electabuzz all nodded, while the Oddish just gave a half-hearted shrug (which was quite a feat seeing as how he had no arms).

However, as Dan turned about to rescue his pokemon, a clamor reached his ears; a large group of pokemon came careening down the hallway, led a by a female Pikachu, a Seadra that looked like Nemo, and what appeared to be…

"Storm!" Dan cried happily, sweeping up Missy into his arms and holding her triumphantly; she was likewise so happy to see him that she didn't even bother to correct him on the use of her false name. In fact, she began spontaneously licking his face.

"All right, Storm, all right," Dan said happily, setting her down. "Listen up, all you pokemon," he said in a commanding voice, "a friend has briefly disabled the base's camera and other electronic equipment, so we have a chance to legitimately escape, but we've got to hurry! Come on!"

And the whole group spun about. Careening through hallways, passing through doors, Dan and the renegade pokemon made it closer to freedom with each and every step, but when they rounded the final corner, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Rico Tyler, the base's second-in-command, the battler who had subdued Dan, was standing directly in front of the exit with six vicious pokemon behind him.

"Hello," he said cheerily, rubbing the dark skin on his cheek absentmindedly, "it really is a pleasure to see you again."

"You bastard!" Dan yelled. "You won't stop us now!"

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'd like to think so," Rico said nonchalantly while behind him, his pokemon bristled with anticipation of the inevitable fight. Among them, Missy saw Tower, the Graveler which had defeated her.

"I heard it through the grapevine that there was going to be an escape attempt tonight, and looky there, here you are!" Rico studied the group ahead of him with his head cocked on one side, the richly dark midnight blue hair bouncing lightly as he twisted his neck. "Although I admit I was not expecting so many. Ah well," he said with a wave of his hand, "it doesn't matter how many pathetic little ingrates you have, I'm certain my team will be able to mow over this little rebellion.

"Well," he laughed coyly, "enough small talk, right? Let's get down to business. Let's battle."


	7. Chapter 7

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 10/25/2008 on deviantART. I do not profess, and will never profess, to be good at writing battle sequences.

***

"Sting that Ponyta!" Rico ordered, his first pokemon--a female Beedrill named Stiletto--managing to dodge through Ruby's flames and strike the pony pokemon on her exposed body.

Dan gritted his teeth in the intensity of the moment. He was determined to fight his way past Giovanni's second-in-command and into freedom…but Rico had beaten him before using only three of his pokemon (and Dan saw those three stalking behind their master). Not to mention that Dan's pokemon were tired from their previous loss and their captivity. Certainly, the desperation of wanting to break free could give them an edge, but it still probably wasn't enough; and the myriad of imprisoned pokemon who were also hoping to escape from Team Rocket's clutches would be no help, panicked and tired as they were.

Out of all the captive pokemon, only the Electabuzz and Oddish imprisoned with Armor and Ruby seemed capable of combat; perhaps the Pikachu who seemed to be the ringleader of the mob of pokemon could fight too, but she looked like she had her hands full trying to keep the withered group from fleeing or fainting _en masse_. Together with Dan's pokemon, that brought the total number of battle-worthy pokemon to seven against Rico's six; not good odds, considering that Giovanni had chosen the Rico Tyler as his lieutenant almost solely for his phenomenal battling ability. In fact, it would probably be an even six-on-six…Dan dared not jeopardize the stability of the rag-tag group of frightened pokemon by separating them from their Pikachu leader.

He had sent out his strongest battler, Ruby, at the genesis of the match, hoping to use her to bring down as many of Rico's pokemon as possible at the start. To Dan's surprise, Rico had called out a Bug-type for his first combatant, almost satirizing his opponent by ignoring the type disadvantage; a double mockery, as Rico knew from experience that Ruby was Dan's toughest fighter. If his strongest pokemon went down now…

_What am I doing reminiscing?!_ He chided himself. _Keep your mind on the action, or you'll never win your freedom!_

"Ruby," he ordered, "Don't take that lying down!" (For his reminiscence had only eaten a few seconds from when Ruby had been struck.) "Let's show this bug a counterattack! FLAME IT!!!"

Ruby responded by shooting out a jet of fire aimed towards her aerial opponent, but the Beedrill almost lazily swept to the side as the flame careened harmlessly on the metal roof above the gate.

Rico made a tsking noise. "We always see that from those nasty Fire pokemon, don't we Stiletto?" He cocked his head to the side and gave a mocking smile at Ruby. "Good thing we always have a counter-strategy!"

Stiletto suddenly began beating her wings rapidly; the buzzing noise was irritable to Dan's ears, but to the hyper-sensitive hearing of the pokemon, it was almost too much to bear. Missy gave a squeal and ducked her head between her paws, shivering, while the Electabuzz started careening about drunkenly. A few of the imprisoned pokemon even fainted from the irritance.

Ruby was almost petrified, her eyes wide open, unable to move until her eardrums stopped screaming with pain. That was all the time needed for Stiletto to dart in and begin rapidly pummeling Ruby with blow after blow; Dan cried out in worry, as some of the wounds seemed serious for even a pokemon to cope with.

"Hey, Ruby," he called out, "come out of it!"

It didn't seem to work. Dan was beginning to lose hope until Missy shakily took a stand and began yelling at her rival as well.

"Hey, you high-and-mighty little foal!" She yelled in a sardonic voice. "Is the oh-so-superior Ponyta trained by one of the greatest Fire-type masters going to lose to a pokemon with a _type disadvantage_?!"

That seemed to snap Ruby out of her stupor. As much as Missy hated to admit it, being able to insult Ruby back gave her no small degree of pleasure.

Ruby actually _bit_ her tormentor's stinger mid-jab and stopped it from going any further. As Stiletto tried in vain to pull free, Ruby's fiery mane streaked down her crown and spilled onto the Beedrill, setting the battler on fire. Shrieking, she finally managed to twist herself free from Ruby's vise-like maw, only for the Fire-type to rear up on her hind legs and bring her hooves crashing down on her opponent. Knockout.

As Rico recalled his first pokemon, the smile fading a bit, Ruby said over her shoulder to Missy, "…I'd thank you, but my pride won't allow it."

Missy responded, "We'll have to work on that later." Her uplifting tone hid a strain of concern, however; the wounds inflicted by Stiletto looked nasty, and many were turning a sickly shade of purple. Poison from the Beedrill's stinger.

Dan didn't fail to notice it either. _Ruby's almost had it,_ he realized. _Even if whatever pokemon Rico sends out next doesn't land a single hit, she'll only last a few minutes before the poison claims her. This next round's gotta count._

"Alright," Rico called back to his five vicious battlers still left, "I think it's time for a little revenge match. Brute! Rescind your previous loss."

The burly Machamp lurched forwards; he was one of the pokemon who Rico had sent out in his previous battle against Dan, and Brute had received a trouncing from Ruby.

The moment the four-armed pokemon took the stage Ruby was off running without waiting for a command from her trainer. Dashing in for a tackle here, a stream of fire from behind there, Ruby used her smaller stature, superior speed, and fiery distance attacks to weather Brute down before he had a time to react.

"What's she doing?" Missy found herself being asked by the sullen-looking Oddish; his hyper Electabuzz friend hovering behind him.

"Well," Missy responded hastily, not keeping her eyes off the action, "I can't really say for certain, but I think it's this: Ruby's poisoned, and she knows this. She's doing her absolute best to wear down that pokemon before she faints."

"From what I know about her," the Oddish said in a low voice, "that seems a bit out of character for her."

"Well," Missy mused, "it's true that Ruby is an enormous jerk…but she's a solid battler, the best Dan's got. And doing stuff like this, one could almost say she was acting _nobly_."

In the meantime, Ruby had landed a number of hits on the Machamp without taking a blow in return, but the poison was finally running its toll. She collapsed, panting. The bruised Machamp lumbered towards his opponent, grabbed her, and lifted her above his head, preparing to throw her onto the ground for a knockout.

"Any last words?" he taunted the pony pokemon.

"How about 'Barbecue'?!" Ruby threw back, and her mane flared up in a magnificent blaze that slowly grew to encompass both her and her opponent; the Machamp was caught by total surprise, unable to move due to the heat; when the fire died down, both the Machamp and Ruby slumped to the ground fainted: Ruby had used up the last of her energy in that kamikaze attack.

As Dan recalled Blaine's former pokemon, the Electabuzz piped up, "Oh! Oh! Hey this gives us a lead! I bet we could win this one easy-peasy!"

"Don't count on it," came a soft voice from behind; Yana, the long-suffering Pikachu who had been the captive of the Rocket desensitizer Masque for several years. "That Ponyta was that boy's strongest fighter."

Rico, with a smile, sent out his next pokemon, the one who had handed Dan's team defeat previously: the Graveler known as Tower.

Missy, who had been defeated by Tower before, felt her anger flaring up. She genuinely wanted a chance to fight the Graveler who had handed her a defeat.

Dan was at a loss as to which pokemon to send out against the Rock-type. He wanted to play off of its dual Rock/Ground weakness, but the only pokemon he had who fit the bill was his Seadra Nemo; undoubtedly Dan's weakest pokemon, he had been floored by Tower previously. Dan couldn't help but glance at the Seadra; Nemo, catching his master's gaze, could guess at what was passing through Dan's memory, and shrunk in shame.

"I could wait all day!" Rico called out playfully, his dyed-blue hair bouncing as he spoke.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh I don't think that boy has a pokemon capable of bringing down that Graveler!" The Electabuzz whispered in hyperactive fear.

"He does now." The Oddish slowly got up and took the field. "If we want to get out of here, were gonna have to make sacrifices; can I ask you to help the boy when the time comes?"

The Electabuzz nodded in response to her ally's question.

Dan whispered down to the Oddish, "Thank you for helping, but I'm not your trainer; I don't know what strategies to follow or what attacks you know. I'll just ask you to follow your own instincts and do whatever you think your old trainer would have had you do, alright?" The plant pokemon nodded, then suddenly plunged his feet into the ground and closed his eyes in concentration.

That took everyone by surprise (except the Electabuzz); Yana whispered, "Does he want to get pummeled?" while Rico seemed stuck of speech in shock.

"Tower," commanded the enforcer, coming back to his senses, "give that weed a punch or two!"

The Graveler didn't respond…and then suddenly toppled over, grunting. Roots sprang from the ground and caged in the Rock pokemon. Rico gave a start and ordered Tower up, but despite his best efforts, the Graveler couldn't break free of the roots.

Dan was starting to feel like they had a genuine chance thanks to Ruby's desperation and this Oddish's ingenuity, but it didn't last long.

"Dig!" Rico cried suddenly; Tower responded and tunneled down into the ground below the base; the Oddish's roots limpened as the pokemon they were constraining disappeared; the roots snaked underground, doubtless looking for the Graveler, but the advantage was Tower's now; the ground beneath the Oddish's feet crumbled as Tower grasped the little Grass-type triumphantly. Just as he began a victory roar, however, the Oddish sprayed a burst of spores into the Graveler's face; Tower dropped his prey, roaring, and clutched his eyes as he did so. The Oddish back up and shot the leaves off of his head, but Tower rolled to avoid them at Rico's command and, when the Oddish shot a second spray of leaves, Tower used the same feint he had done in his previous bout with Nemo; he used his four arms to spring into the air, and landed with devastating force on top of the Oddish, resulting in a KO.

"Ohh, too bad," mocked Rico, "it seems as though it was trying _so_ hard too! And that's not even your pokemon, is it? Pity that it's Poke Ball is somewhere in storage back in the base and you can't call it back. Tower! Let's boot that root back over to his friends!"

Tower gave a smirk and raised a rocky foot to strike cruelly at the unconscious Oddish, but a grey blur shot past the unconscious Grass pokemon and landed onto Tower's head: Missy.

"Don't you DARE hurt any more of my friends!" She growled, grasping onto her foe's head as best she could with her paws and biting as viciously as she could against his stone skin, all the while managing to avoid the grappling four arms of her foe.

She heard Rico yelling and also heard Dan, Yana, and the others grabbing the Oddish's prone form. Finally the Graveler grabbed one of her hind legs and threw her against the wall, but with her inhuman reflexes fueled by rage and desperation, she angled herself so that her back feet pressed against the structure when she hit. Pushing against it, she gained momentum as she sped through the air like a bullet, striking Tower head-on, and actually managing to topple the Rock-Ground hybrid with the force of her impact.

_I just smashed my skull into a giant rock!_ Her mind registered despite the adrenaline of the moment. For once, she was glad of her new non-human form; had she still been a girl, that likely would have cracked her skull open or broken her neck.

As Tower struggled to lug his weighty body back upright, Missy dashed atop him again, and began biting and scratching once more, with an intensity that did not suit her nature.

_I wasn't this vicious before,_ she couldn't help but think. _Did turning into a pokemon do this to me? Or…maybe this was in my nature all along, and being transformed just gave it a convenient window to escape…_ It was a sobering thought, but one she didn't have time for right now.

Tower once again escaped her wrath, this time by tunneling underground. "It's cool, big guy," Rico called out soothingly, "We beat this little wretch before, remember? It'll be just as easy this time." He didn't sound nearly as confident as his words suggested.

Tower resurfaced a good deal away and began flinging rocks and shooting sand at her; Missy dodged the missiles, but was unable to come anywhere near her foe because of them

Inspiration struck her. She began running in a circle all about the battlefield; this was the same gambit that had won her the match against Erika's Bellsprout and had cost her the win against Tower in their last battle. Tower, grunting, summoned a stalagmite in her path; the same trick he had used to beat her previously. Missy had been counting on it. Rather than crashing into it as she had done before, she grappled up its rough surface, and at the peak spun into a dizzying jump; using her own momentum as well as the height supplied by the stone, she stuck the Graveler devastatingly with all four paws on her landing. Tower toppled over with one last basso grunt; he was defeated.

Missy doubled over, panting, surprised at the depths of her own ferocity. _I…I managed to actually…BEAT that thing?!_ She knew she should feel happy at the fact that she had hopefully helped secure freedom for herself and her friends, but when she caught a glimpse of Rico returning Tower's prone body to his pokemon with disquiet, she felt sick to her stomach.

Rico's next pokemon was what appeared to be a giant purple mollusk with two big eyes and a tongue sticking out of its shell, something Dan identified as a "Shellder". It didn't look very threatening, but Missy knew that looks were usually something to avoid when judging an opponent; she herself had defeated Tower, had she not?

"Vise," Rico called out, addressing his pokemon by name, "Squeeze that Eevee till it drops!"

She responded by lunging forwards (she was surprisingly fast for a shellfish) and prepared to clamp down on Missy. Missy primed to dodge, but found herself weary and almost incapable of movement; her previous bout against Tower had expended almost all of her energy. She dodged the Shellder's attack, but slowly, and Vise managed to get a grip on Missy's tail.

"Ouch!" The former human cried out. She tried to wriggle her tail loose, but suddenly it began to feel very chilled. She looked back and saw that Vise was somehow spitting ice out of her shell and freezing Missy's tail. Missy gave a shriek and her paw darted forward, slipping into the crack of Vise's shell and scratching the soft black mass of flesh protected by the carapace. Vise gave a wail and immediately let go, but then shot a jet of water at the ground, launching herself skyward with the backlash; when she was a good deal up, Vise shot a flurry of ice at her opponent.

Missy tried to dodge, but her legs were so tired and sore that she didn't get much headway, and when the frost hit her, she couldn't help but stop moving and collapse, shuddering. It was just so cold…really…..really…….cold……….

She fainted.

Rico gave a howl of excitement and looked Dan in the eye. "Well," he said, "recall your pokemon!"

Dan paled; he had never caught the little grey Eevee, and he couldn't recall her.

He took a tentative step forward, hoping to gather her up in his arms before Rico could figure it out.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and recall your pokemon!" The laugh was out of Rico's voice now.

"I--I just want to make sure she's alright with my own hands and eyes," Dan said shakily, hoping to bluff Missy back to him.

"There'll be time enough for that later," Rico said, genuinely suspicious now. "Call her back. Or…are you incapable of calling her back? No, it couldn't be! Could it? You…you never actually caught that Eevee! Am I right?!"

_Damn,_ Dan thought with a pounding heart. "Of course I caught her! You just leave Storm alone!"

Rico was almost smiling now. "Then bring out your poke ball and call back your pokemon!" When Dan took another step forwards he chortled with delight. "I was right!" Rico gloated. "Then there's only one thing to do!"

And he weaseled a poke ball out of one of his pockets.

When he saw that, Dan made a beeline for Missy, but a command from Rico caused Vise to spray a jet of water in the young man's eyes, blinding him and causing him to trip up, falling to the ground at the same time that the ball flew through the air, landing on Missy's small, grey body, and opening--causing a red light to fly out, grappling at her, and pulling her into the ball and captivity. The poke ball fell to the earth; it shook weakly once or twice until the button made an audible clicking sound.

Missy was caught


	8. Chapter 8

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 10/30/2008 on deviantART. Nothing much else to say about it.

***

Rico strode over to the poke ball with his newest pokemon inside. He held it up so that Dan and his friends could see. With a smirk, Rico noted, "Well, it seems like somebody here has a lesson to learn; catch your pokemon before you decide to start traveling with them!"

And he laughed so loud it seemed impossible that such a noise could come from such a short-statured man. Rico eventually stopped chuckling and ran his dark-skinned hand through his hair, saying, "What a predicament for all you pokemon! Even if you do manage to escape, your friend will be left behind to do my bidding; perhaps someday you'll have to do battle against one another. Oh! Inspiration has stuck! I can give it as a gift to the boss! Yes, Giovanni will be _delighted_ that I managed to subvert that pokemon to his will so quickly. Eevee by themselves are rare enough, but that one's stormy grey color? Priceless! She'll soon become the highlight of his collection.

"And the best part," he said, smirking, "is that the credit goes solely to me, and not those desensitizers; what a slap in the face that will be to Masque! Dear Arceus, I hate that man…"

Dan shot a tearful look of pure hatred over to Rico. "You…give Storm back…don't you _dare_ mistreat that Eevee! She's worth ten times more to me than she ever will to any of you wicked people!"

But Rico made a tsking noise as he placed Missy's poke ball onto his belt. "Finders keepers," he taunted, noting with satisfaction the rage present not only in Dan's eyes, but also the pokemon: Armor the Muk and Nemo the Seadra, Dan's remaining fighter; Yana, the captive Pikachu and Missy's cellmate, and even the hyperactive Electabuzz who had been an ally to the now-fainted prisoner Oddish.

Rico looked down at his own pokemon, the one who had defeated the little grey Eevee: his Shellder, Vise. "Just send out the next pokemon you want my Shellder to trounce!" he taunted, once again stroking his midnight blue hair.

Dan, red in the face from tears, turned and his two pokemon, fury written on their expressions, ran over to him--speaking in the incomprehensible pokemon language, but Dan could guess at what they wanted.

"I've got to think this out," he said in an attempt to be calm. "Rico's now three-for-three. I've got to play this carefully. Armor, I'm not sending you out yet. You're my last bastion of hope." The Muk angrily began berating his trainer. Dan, ignoring him, turned to Nemo. "Nemo, I'm sorry, but you're just too weak." The Seadra sunk back in shame. "You're a great pokemon and I'm proud to have you on my team, but you simply can't hope to stand up to Rico's pokemon. That's why…I'M SENDING OUT THE ELECTABUZZ!!" He yelled the last part to alert Rico that he had chosen a battler.

The Electabuzz in question gave a brief start, but her face soon changed to a look of resolution as she took the stage. She had, after all, promised herself and her partner to help where she could.

"Okay, Electabuzz," Dan said, his voice finally coming back to its normal range after the frustration of losing Missy, "just…do your thing!" He was going to leave it to her judgment; after all, he had little to no knowledge of her battling abilities.

Rico ordered his pokemon to spray a jet of water at their opponent; Vise complied, but the Electabuzz dodged, and pressed her hands in the pool now on the floor; current shot from her body and traveled along the water, zapping her foe.

As the Shellder spasmed from the jolt, the Electabuzz made a dash and connected a devastating punch to the outside of Vise's shell; the pokemon flew backwards, striking a wall, and collapsed to the ground in defeat.

If Dan and Rico were startled at the Electabuzz's battling prowess, it was nothing to the amazement that Dan's pokemon and Yana were feeling; despite her hyperactivity and apparent empty-mindedness, she was quite a formidable battler.

And it was her hyper behavior that, at least for the pokemon (as they were the ones who could understand her) completely ruined the moment.

"Oh boy!" she said happily, dancing around erratically. "I won I won did you see it was great it was awesome I loved it that Shellder had no chance that man has no chance there's not anybody around here who can stand up to my awesome super special battle powers of electrical greatness because I'm the--"

Luckily her tirade was cut off by Rico sending out his penultimate pokemon, one that Dan's team was well-acquainted with: the Charizard called Dante. The fearsome lizard pokemon reared his head and gave a mighty roar that was cut off when the Electabuzz rammed her head into his stomach.

Doubling over, the Charizard attempted to retaliate with a sweeping slash of its mighty claw, but the Electabuzz had already run around to his side. Scrambling up onto his back, she gripped his flesh with both claws and delivered a devastating shock, taking advantage of her opponent's Flying-type. Roaring, Dante swung wildly in an attempt to shake off his tormentor. Eventually flinging off the Electabuzz, a swing from his massive tail sent her skidding across the floor, and before she could make a move to get up, he sent a wild tongue of flame in her direction. The section of floor she was lying on seemed to flare up for a second, and then was covered in smoke.

Smirking, the Charizard stomped over to the scorched section of tile, certain that once the smoke cleared he would see his opponent's unconscious form; imagine his surprise when a yellow-furred arm sprung from the smoke and dealt an uppercut to his jaw. Staggering back drunkenly, Dante didn't even see the Electabuzz get to her feet shakily amidst the clearing smoke and charge up a large volt between the conductors on her head. She sent the jolting electricity slamming into Dante, who gave a pained roar before toppling over in a faint.

As Rico called back his defeated enforcer, the pokemon gave a cheer. It was now three to one, thanks to the Electabuzz; surely their freedom was ensured?

But Rico gave a low chuckle. "Well done," he taunted. "It's too bad that I always save the best for last; my strongest fighter is always sent out last of all. He was the first one I ever got, and he's the most powerful, vicious pokemon in this entire base. I named him accurately…

"…COME, TYRANT!"

And, with a bellow that took Dan's confidence and shattered it into a million pieces, a snake-like Gyarados took the stage and gave another huge snarl. Dan soon saw the path to victory, however.

"Electabuzz," he called out to the bruised pokemon in front of him, "That's a Water-Flying hybrid! Just one Electric attack and--"

But Dan never got to finish his sentence. The Gyarados took advantage of a lull in his opponent's movements and twisted his body, sending his oak-like tail spinning into the Electabuzz, catching her with a painful-sounding whack and sending her twisting into the wall. She fainted.

Tyrant gave a roar that seemed to mock Dan and company even more than his master's laugh.

Dan could see his defeat etched into the draconic face of that pokemon. Gulping, he moved Armor to the forefront. The Muk bravely stared down his massive adversary, trying to drown his understandable fear with retribution and rage at what had happened to Missy.

The Gyarados attacked with its tail once more, but Armor anticipated this and softened the sludge that made up his body so that when the appendage struck him, his now nearly-liquid body seemed to splatter on Tyrant's scales. The purple slime then began constricting around Tyrant's considerable bulk, trying to crush and poison him. Tyrant shrieked in pain, but began a wriggling motion that eventually threw off all the slime, which congealed back into Armor.

Armor, once reformed, lunged at Tyrant's face. Angrily, the atrocious pokemon tried to bite down on Armor, only for the Muk to fling a sizeable ball of sludge in the Water-type's face. Coughing and sputtering, the Gyarados was unable to fight back when Armor tackled his midsection in desperation, but the ensuing sweep from Tyrant's tail sent Armor (who had not had time enough to soften his body once again) spiraling. Tyrant followed suit with a high-powered jet of water that would have shamed a firehose. Armor was defeated.

Dan recalled his fighter, whispering to the poke ball that he was proud of the fight he had put up. But now it was one pokemon left on each side; Tyrant on Rico's, and on Dan's…

He looked back at Nemo. Shy, shivering, quiet, weak little Nemo. It was hopeless.

Not wanting to put the little Seadra through any unnecessary torment--the matchup was hopeless anyway--Dan began the phrase, "Rico, I…I surre--"

But before Dan could finish the shameful sentence, Nemo spun past, not willing to let his trainer give up all hope. Tyrant leered down at the tiny, exposed form in front of staring up with defiance in his eyes.

"Little one," he growled evilly, "I promise this will be quick."

And he lunged for the Seadra, jaws open wide, ready to crush the little pokemon in his maw.

Only seconds before the Gyarados was going to deliver the finishing blow, Nemo shot a jet of ink into Tyrant's eyes. The Gyarados backed off, blinded and roaring. Nemo took advantage of the lull in his attack to tackle the Gyarados, striking his body--studded with poisonous spikes--into the already toxic wounds that Armor had inflicted earlier. Feeling the sting, Tyrant roared and shot a beam of powerful energy in the direction of the pain. Nemo, from his perch atop Tyrant's torso, dodged--causing the Gyarados to hit himself with his own attack.

Roaring, Rico's trump card twisted wildly in a blind rage; Nemo avoided any hits from the thrashing body and shot water at the ground, flying into the air from the backlash. As he began falling, he angled his body towards Tyrant's face. However, the Gyarados had somewhat calmed down, and heard Nemo coming through the air. He opened his mouth wide, and Nemo slipped in easily. The Seadra now entirely in the chasm that was his mouth, Tyrant slammed his jaw shut triumphantly…

…only for his tongue and the roof of his mouth to be impaled by Nemo's poisonous spines! Collapsing and spasming, the Gyarados wailed, trying desperately to wrench his sensitive mouth free of the burning pain caused by the spines. Meanwhile, inside Tyrant's confined mouth, Nemo gathered up all the energy he had and used it to propel a stream of water with devastating force into the inside of Tyrant's throat. Feeling as though the full brunt of a tsunami had slammed into his insides, Tyrant had had enough. The mighty dragon pokemon's wild throes came to a halt…and Tyrant fell unconscious.

Dan and his team had won.

Both Rico and Dan stood stunned for the briefest of moments, before Dan and all the captive pokemon made a dash for the exit, which was now blocked only by a single short human rather than six vicious and powerful pokemon. Many of the former prisoners, carrying the Oddish and Electabuzz with them, simply streamed out the door into freedom. Others (Yana among them) stopped by the unconscious Gyarados and helped Nemo wriggle free from his mouth.

Dan made a beeline straight for Rico and punched him right in the gut. Rico staggered back, clutching his stomach, only to be hit in the face when Dan clasped his hands in a club and swung it wildly. Down on his knees from the impact, Rico had no chance when Dan swung his elbow down onto the top of his head, forcing him onto the ground.

As Rico lay there on the ground, his face bruised, his body shaking, and his nose bleeding, Dan towered over him, and thundered, "Give me back my EEVEE!"

Rico almost desperately unhooked Missy's poke ball from his belt and handed it to Dan. "Here, take it!" he said. Dan snatched up the ball and recalled Nemo, who was by now free, and ran off to freedom, leaving Rico there, hurt, dazed, and confused, at the entrance to the base.

---

A while later, the nurse at the pokemon center was treating Dan's pokemon and all the freed ones. Many of the pokemon who had already been healed, or whose condition was not so severe, waited in one of the back rooms, rejoicing in their lack of captivity. Nemo was the hero of the hour, but despite his newfound bravery and talent on the field of battle, was as shy as ever. "Um…it was nothing, really…I swear…" He said, looking as embarrassed as a seahorse-dragon hybrid could look. One thing was for sure, though: none of the pokemon there would ever call him "weak" again.

The nurse had used a secret, special machine that had been developed when Team Rocket first became prominent to free all the pokemon permanently; when a pokemon was placed in the machine, all ties between it and its poke ball were severed, effectively rendering the poke ball nothing more than an empty tool once more.

Dan had approached the Oddish and Electabuzz, who had been healed and "severed" right away, and asked if they'd like to join the troop. Knowing that thanks to the wickedness of Team Rocket they were unlikely to ever see their original trainer again, both had nodded yes. Dan happily "caught" both of them, and then went back to waiting for Missy to recover enough to be set free.

In front of the pokemon center, a lone Pikachu stood. Yana gazed out towards the edge of town at the grasslands and plains beyond, famed in the early dawn light. Being a captive of Masque for such a long time and having seen nothing but cages and blank walls for so many years, the sight was almost holy.

Ruby stalked up behind the Pikachu and asked her, "Sir Dan and the pokemon who helped us in the battle are partners now. Do you plan on doing the same?"

Yana shook her head.

"Is it your trainer?" Ruby asked with more than a trace of her defining haughtiness. "It's been so long; do you even remember him or her? That's not a good reason to--"

"That's not it," Yana whispered. "Being captive for so long…I want to taste freedom again, and run again. See fellow pokemon that aren't paranoid with fear or brainwashed to serving a cruel master. I want to speak with pokemon who have never even seen a human, never been corrupted by them. Perhaps pokemon who have never even _heard_ of humans. Masque…I spoke of him lightly, but he left an indelible imprint on my mind these past years. That evil, evil man…I can't be around humans anymore, I just can't, I won't be able to stop thinking about him. I'm leaving. I can't bear to stand in this or any other city any longer."

And as Yana began walking back, she shot back over her shoulder to Ruby, "Tell Missy what I said, and she'll understand why I couldn't wait around to say goodbye. And tell her I hope to run into her again."

And then she got down on all fours and sped off towards freedom.

---

Back at the base, the pain from the beating Rico had took finally subsided into a dull throbbing. Shakily getting to his feet, he whispered in a curiously relieved sort of voice, "They escaped."

"So they did."

Rico gave a start at the sultry voice behind him, and turned to see Masque standing there, his ruffled coat and pearl mask as proper as ever, a depraved smile twisting his mouth as wind from the base's entrance ruffled his woody brown hair.

"My dear Mr. Tyler," Masque said in that melodious voice that always sent the hairs on the back of Rico's neck standing straight up, "dare I suggest that you don't sound _nearly_ as sad or furious at the fact that several key prisoners of Team Rocket escaped as you should?"

"What do you mean?" Rico shot back, trying to sound tough, but aware at the same time that with a bruised and bloodied face and six fainted pokemon, he didn't strike a very threatening figure.

"Oh, nothing, nothing…it's just one of several misdemeanors we plan on informing Giovanni of…besides the fact that several prisoners escaped past you, there are other matters to find worry from as well: Someone appears to have fed the guards a sedative, there is a computer virus making a mockery of our electrical system, somebody appears to have stolen a key from Giovanni's own office, and there have been reports of mysterious cloaked persons roaming the halls at night and chatting with prisoners…all during the time when _you_ are supposed to be keeping order. I'm certain Giovanni will be delighted."

_**We**__ plan on informing Giovanni?_ Rico thought; he looked over Masque's shoulder and saw a very beaten and sore-looking Scyther, the pokemon that Giovanni had left to guard the prisoners before he left.

"When exactly do you plan on telling our boss all this?" Rico challenged.

"Why, right now." Masque responded pleasantly, as though he were discussing the time of day or the weather.

Rico furrowed his brow in thought. "But…Giovanni's in Saffron City right now!"

"Precisely why I must be hurrying off. Goodbye."

As Masque moved to exit, Rico cut him off. "Hey, I said earlier no one was to leave the base until the boss comes back!"

"And why should I listen to what you say?" Masque said in that same pleasant voice that frightened Rico to no end.

"Because _I'm_ the one in charge here!" Rico said with attempted authority.

Masque just gave a very small and _very_ derisive chuckle before resuming his way out the door. Rico, deflated, made no move to stop him…but as the desensitizer passed by him, Rico heard Masque's voice mutter to him.

"It is a shame, though, that you let that Eevee get away. A very big shame indeed, yes…that Eevee is particularly special…"

"What's that mean?" Rico asked. "The coloring?"

Masque just smiled at his fellow criminal. "Don't trouble yourself with it, Rico Tyler my friend. There are things happening here you have no concern with. Things you cannot begin to comprehend…"

And Masque turned and, with the Scyther at his heels, strode out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 11/16/2008 on deviantART. This chapter is where I hit MASSIVE writer's block.

***

Missy woke up in a grey void filled with shadowy mist; she tried to move her paws but there didn't seem to be any solid ground to place them on. She hung motionless in the black abyss, the formless smoke swirling about her. In between glimpses of the smoke, she saw shimmers of what appeared to be different landscapes; in one, there was a gorgeous-looking meadow; another, a ridge atop a clouded peak lined with pine trees; a third, a desert of endless sand. These images were transitory, only appearing dimly through the mist for seconds at a time. Missy greatly wanted to go to any of those inviting places (anything would be better than this endless nebula of darkness) but she could not even move; and, after a few minutes of observation, she began noticing faults in the images.

The meadow seemed to go dim and flicker for a bit, for instance, or the sand in the desert didn't seem to fit together the way it should. Even the pines atop the mount seemed a little too straight, too orderly to be genuine. _It's like I'm looking at some video game and seeing a glitch in the graphics,_ Missy thought, before realizing that she technically _was_ in a video game. The grim irony didn't make the situation any better, though.

How long she hung there in that emptiness, black and grey, with ethereal mist twisting about her and those false images toying at the edge of her vision, she could never tell. Time seemed to have left her in this void, and her mind wandered…

_Dan…_ she thought dully a while later--or was it a year later?--_I hope you made your escape…I hope we all made it free and safe…_

Safe? A horrible thought struck her. _Did…am I…dead?_ The thought sent her insides shivering. That Shellder had only caused her to faint, right? But…Rico had ordered his pokemon to hurt the unconscious Oddish…that was what incited her to fight in the first place. Had her unconscious body taken such damage that it couldn't stand it anymore? _Is this the afterlife? No…it can't be…I can't be alone like this forever…Dan...I miss you…_

---

Back at the pokemon center, the nurse had healed most of the pokemon and handed them over to the police, whom Dan had called (along with Erika) once they had arrived there.

"You're so brave," she said coyly, sitting next to him and burying her head into his arm like a pillow, despite his reluctance. "For taking on all those Rockets by yourself."

"And stupid," Dan said, trying not to let his face blush from the intimacy, "for not leaving right away and informing you all."

Erika just gave a cute giggle, than sat up (to Dan's relief) and studied his pokemon, all of whom--except for Missy, who was one of the last in line to be healed--were seated on the floor in front of him

"Let's name those two new ones," Erika decided out of the blue.

"I'll do the naming, thanks," Dan pointed out. "No offense, but they are _mine_ now." Erika just shrugged.

Dan bent down and studied the sullen Oddish and the hyper Electabuzz. "I know," he began, "that you are now traveling with me. But is it all right for me to override your previous trainer's nicknames?"

Erika fell silent; she had failed to take that into consideration.

The Oddish nodded almost immediately, while the Electabuzz seemed to ponder it for a few moments before also nodding.

Dan studied the Oddish for a while. "You're a plant," he muttered more to himself than his pokemon, "and you don't look like much…but you can be deadly…Nightshade. That's what I'm calling you."

And he turned to the other with a smile. "I thought of a name for you a while ago. You shall be called Artemis--the Greek goddess of the hunt."

Both pokemon seemed satisfied with their new names, but as Dan stood up, Erika asked him, "What's 'Greek' mean?"

"Oh," Dan said hastily with nonchalance, "just a group of people you'll likely never hear about again."

Further questions were interrupted by Officer Suzanne, the dark-skinned and bad-tempered leader of Celadon's search for Team Rocket.

"We arrived at the base just like you said," she addressed Dan, "and are apprehending large numbers of Rockets in a panic from the virus, but that Rico fellow was nowhere in sight. We couldn't find that flamboyant Mask character."

"Masque." Corrected Dan. "And what about the cloaked figure that helped me escape? Did you find any trace of him?...Or her?"

Suzanne shook her head. "Not a single cloak or voice scrambler to be found."

Dan sighed, but news soon arrived that cheered him up. "Your Eevee is in perfect health!" The nurse said with a smile, handing Dan Rico's pokeball. Dan took it with a sad smile, busy anticipating how upset Storm (as he knew her) would be for being captured.

"Oh, Storm?" Erika said worriedly. "I hope she's alright!" Erika had been smitten with the little Eevee ever since she saw her unique coloration, though the feeling was obviously less than mutual.

---

Down in that cavernous abyss, Missy hung in a befuddled half-sleep state. How long had she been there? It was impossible to tell, no thanks to the fleeting half-images that poked their way through the vapor. Just as she was beginning to slip into despair, a bright light snaked its way through the empty space; tendrils of pure light seemed to wrap around her body, and with a jolting sensation reminiscent to being on a poorly-constructed carnival ride, she was flung out of the black plane, and onto a linoleum floor.

Blinking from the blinding light of the building, Missy heard excited speech around her, then found herself nuzzled and cajoled by all of Dan's other pokemon; there was Nemo with his typical shyness congratulating her, Armor chortling, the Oddish she had saved silently standing by, and even that Electabuzz hyperactively chattering above the noise. Even Ruby seemed to have been caught up in the moment, as she had no disparaging remarks to say.

Dan calmed his pokemon down, and Missy saw he had a poke ball in his hand; when she stared at it, she felt an odd sensation. _He wouldn't,_ she told herself, still staring at the object. _He knows I didn't want that!_

Dan, noticing the Eevee's gaze, sighed and bent down, picking her up and holding her face to face. "Storm," he began, and Missy curiously found herself lacking her usual backlash towards his use of her wrong name, "this is your poke ball.

"But," he continued, "I didn't catch you. Rico did after his Shellder beat you; I tried to stop him. But he caught you anyways; when we beat him, I took back your poke ball."

"But don't worry Storm," he said with a smile, "I know you didn't want to be caught…and here at the center they have a machine that can sever the ties between a pokemon and its poke ball. So, let's get this over with…"

But Missy, to the surprise of everyone including herself, shook her head, then buried her furred face into Dan's neck. _Caught by a crime boss's second-in-command…_ She saw a disturbing image of her being forced to endure life under that man, or--even worse!!!--traded away to that psychotic Masque fellow. _The man who knows my identity._ She thought in despair, imaging him using some intangible influence through the poke ball to control her every action, forcing her into crime or other malicious acts.

_Better to be caught by Dan than somebody like that. Better to serve under somebody who will treat you with kindness. Somebody who I…_ She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. _Dan, thank you for saving me._ And here she felt such a force of gratitude that she began crying and nuzzled her new trainer with affection, and appreciation…and want, and sorrow, and confusion, and desire, and…

After she calmed down, Dan set her back. "So, you want me to be your trainer?" She responded with a nod. "But--I'm going out on a limb here, Storm--you probably don't want me to carry you around in a poke ball?" She, remembering the terrible black shadow-world, shook her head.

Smiling, Dan bent down and motioned his head towards his shoulder. "Then this shoulder's yours. Hop on up."

Missy was surprised, but quickly ran over and scrambled up Dan's side, landing on his shoulder. Dan stood up, and as Missy clung with ease to his limb with inhuman balance, she felt another bizarre surge of emotions…

And hopped down. She shook her head.

Dan was confused, but made no comment.

Suzanne, fed up with the moment, began speaking once more. "Mister Fawcett," she said, addressing Dan, "did you mention that that…Giovanni fellow who was in charge was headed to Saffron?"

"That's what that cloaked person told me," he said with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Erika was experiencing _déjà vu_; confusion racked her brain. _Giovanni?_ She thought. _Where have I heard that name before?_

Meanwhile, Suzanne had formulated a plan. "We're going to take down the Rocket threat once and for all," she said with vigor. "Everyone meet at the station tomorrow morning."

Erika left to her mansion to go prepare, and invited Dan, but he declined, citing that he needed to assist the handful of pokemon still needing treatment (in reality, he found Erika's attraction to him a bit unnerving, as he could not stop thinking about her as a bunch of programming).

That evening, as Dan lay in bed, Missy chatted with the other pokemon.

"Where's Yana?" was her first question.

"Oh, that's right," Ruby responded, "Yana decided to run off into the grasslands; something about escaping humanity."

Ruby sounded confused, but Missy understood; if she had been kept captive by a person as awful as Masque for so many years, she would likely want to escape as far as possible too.

The two new pokemon, who had never formally introduced themselves, were next on Missy's agenda. "I'm Nightshade, and this is Artemis," he said, motioning towards his partner. "We'll be your new allies."

"Pleased to meet you! I hope you find your present company inoffensive," Missy responded with a not-so-sly glance at Ruby.

The Ponyta in particular, however, gave a huff and turned her back on the group;

"So, how did we escape?" Missy asked. She got the details that Artemis had floored the Shellder and Rico's next pokemon, but had been beaten by Tyrant, a powerful Gyarados.

"And then Mister Dan decided to send me out next, eh?" Continued Armor, who was telling the story. "And I thought I'd put up a good fight, but that ugly thing floored me--and then guess who came from behind to beat that thing and save the day, eh? Eh?"

"Nemo." Missy said good-naturedly.

Armor seemed awestruck. "How'd you figure that out, eh?"

"He's the only choice left," Missy pointed out with humor. "Good going, Nemo--I always knew you were more than you appear."

The Seadra, abashed as always, only said, "…um, thanks…"

"_I_," Ruby interjected, "Find it odd that you'll keep serving Sir Dan and let yourself be caught; but then you won't even allow yourself to ever be allowed back in?! Think you're better than us, do you?"

_That would be you,_ Missy thought dryly. "No," she said, "I just don't like the inside of the poke ball."

This seemed to shock the present company. "Why not, eh?" Ventured Armor.

Missy related her experience in the blackness.

"That's not what it's like for me, eh," Armor mused. "I always get in a nice abandoned building; a different kind most times, thought."

"The poke ball," interrupted Ruby with a superior air, "constructs a false reality based on its user's species and current emotional state. When I want to rest, I always find a glade or savannah to prance around in; if I feel anxious and need to let off some steam, there's a stony badland with a bunch of rocks about for me to leap about on.

"I think," Armor offered, "The poke ball was trying to do that for you, eh? I mean, based on those images you saw. But maybe it broke or something."

Here Nemo spoke up. "Maybe…maybe it couldn't really read you if it's based on species…thanks to your unique 'condition'."

Ruby gave a disbelieving moan, while Armor nodded in agreement. Nightshade, however, was confused. "What 'condition'?" He raised.

_That's right,_ Missy realized, _He and Artemis don't know my story._ So she related her whole tale from the beginning: starting with an introduction to the relationship between the pokemon world and her own, then beginning to tell events beginning with her brother Luke's machine. She then moved on to her transformation, her battle with Armor, following Dan and Blaine into the city, teaming up with Dan in Blaine's manor, their fruitless searches across Cinnabar, Dan's decision to search in Celadon for a way home, and how he ended up staying at Erika's mansion. She discussed their participation in the police investigation, Dan sneaking into the Rocket base, their initial defeat at the hands of Rico, and their separation. She related her friendship with Yana, the stories told about Masque, how the man himself attempted to desensitize her and discovered the truth (this invited great concern amongst the others), her and Yana's escape past the vicious Scyther, and finally when they met up with Dan. "And from there," she finished, "you can figure the rest out for yourself."

There was a brief pause, and even Armor and Nemo, who were acquainted with most of the history, were silent. Finally, Nightshade elected to speak.

"Wow." Was all he could say. There was awe in his voice, and belief; despite his downcast nature and apparent cynicism (he shared a trait with his messy-haired trainer in that last one) he didn't disbelieve her story at all. "To think this is all just a children's game in your world…just fiction…you do realize the implications, don't you? It's not like there's a lack of literature or film in this world. This world treats those objects as 'fiction' but do they have their own universes?...and their own fiction? There could be untold multiverses out there; even your home, Missy, could be the product of nothing but words on a page."

The scope of this realization struck all the pokemon, but Missy hardest of all. _I've treated this world as fiction,_ she thought, _But it seems real enough to me. What if my own world, the 'real' world, is just a tale, or a movie, or something similar? And the world that treats my own as 'fiction' could, itself, be fiction of another, greater sphere…_

She turned and looked at Artemis, who had been sitting there with a look of concentration throughout the whole story; and even the conversation before. "Artemis," Missy said, "are you okay?"

Artemis glanced up and said, "Oh yeah I'm fine no problem." Missy was going to have to get used to that quick manner of speech. "I'm just trying to figure out something that Trainer Dan said but hey maybe if you're from the same world you would know the answer!"

"I'll try," Missy offered.

Artemis gave a nod and let loose the question that had been plaguing her for hours and hours:

"Who are the Greeks?"

---

The next morning, Suzanne put her plan into action. She, Dan, and Erika traveled along the short road between Saffron and Celadon; any more, Suzanne reasoned, would put the secrecy necessitated by the plan in jeopardy.

The two women took their places outside the door of the guardhouse while Dan moseyed on in coolly. Two guards stopped him.

"Sorry, buddy," said one in a dull voice, "there's been an epidemic in Saffron. Whole city under quarantine."

"I need to get through," Dan said, following his role in the plan.

"You're not getting past us, buddy, sorry," continued the guard. When Dan didn't move, he lost the dull look in his face; the guard grabbed Dan by the scruff of his shirt and drew him in. "Didn't you hear me, shrimp?! City's closed!!"

"Hey," said the other guard slowly, "doesn't he match the description Masque gave us?"

The first gave a start and said aloud, "Tall boy in teens, messy brown hair that hangs over eyes…this is him! YOU'RE COMING WITH US!!"

But as the two guards grabbed for their poke balls, Erika and Suzanne burst in; Erika soon incapacitated the guards using her Grass-type pokemon's vines.

Suzanne smirked down at the bound guards. "I hope don't mind lying there for a while. My squad will pick you up later. I'm certain that you'll find prison much more comfortable, though."

And she, Dan, and Erika walked through the gate…into Giovanni's stronghold.


	10. Chapter 10

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 01/20/2008 on deviantART. Yeah, it took me two months.

***

Missy looked about in apprehension. The city chilled her.

Saffron was enormous. The metropolis certainly wasn't comparable to massive conurbations such as New York City and Calcutta back in her home universe, but the towering skyscrapers and sprawling streets seemed to give evidence that there ought to be a significant population of people—and pokemon—living within its boundaries.

The problem was, there weren't.

Officer Suzanne had given orders for herself, Dan, and Erika to split up, reasoning that they could cause more devastation individually than they could together. So, the anti-Rocket tag group split up, each with their own agenda.

Erika was to find Sabrina, Saffron's Gym Leader, and enlist her aid.

Dan's mission was to find as many captives (both human and pokemon) and deliver them to safety.

Suzanne was going to track down Rico, Giovanni's second-in-command, or Masque, his head desensitizer, and coerce them to lead her to the big cheese himself. By then, hopefully Erika, Dan, and Sabrina would have reunited with her, and the foursome would overwhelm the crime boss and bring him to justice.

Missy thought it was a pretty flimsy plan, but Suzanne was an officer and she wasn't, after all—not to mention that the chocolate-skinned officer seemed a little secretive concerning her end of the mission. Missy suspected Suzanne was hiding something that was likely going to assist her operation.

Missy stole a glance at Dan, walking a few paces before her; Dan seemed perturbed as well, but Missy suspected that it wasn't the deserted city that was occupying him; before the group had split, Erika had planted another goodbye kiss on Dan.

Dan had been shocked, and Missy disgusted.

Shy Nemo had gotten up the courage to ask Missy, "I've never really understood…why do humans do that?"

Missy had tried not to seem too awkward as she explained it to him.

"It's called 'kissing'," she said in discomfort. "Humans do it to show affection towards each other. When it's not done among families, it's typically a sign of…er…_romantic_ affection."

"So, when Erika—"

Missy cut him off by nodding. She didn't want to say anything more about the subject.

But Armor wasn't going to make it that easy for her.

"What's it like, eh?" The good-natured Muk rumbled; he had been not-so-discreetly eavesdropping on their conversation, as had the rest of Dan's pokemon.

"Like? What's _what_ like?"

"This kissing thing, eh?"

Had Missy still been a girl, she would have turned a deep, beet red.

"Well, it's, er…I've heard it's…very nice, and, uh," she stuttered awkwardly, before being cut off by Ruby.

"Hold on, little girl," the abrasive Ponyta had bleated with a sneer, "you've _heard_ it's nice? What's the matter, never actually done the thing?"

Embarrassed, Missy shook her head. "No," she admitted, "Back when I was human I had never kissed anyone."

Ruby chuckled for a long time as the other pokemon tried to ignore their companion's shame.

Dan, in the meantime, had been trying to keep his mind on the mission, but it kept wandering, though not to Erika as Missy supposed.

_I could have died back in that Rocket base,_ he thought, remembering his recent imprisonment. _In fact, I almost __**did**__; Giovanni's Scyther nearly took my head off. I've got to be more careful. Rockets are dangerous._

And, he perused, _What would happen if I died here? This world is more than just…I've been treating it as a children's toy, but serious things can and do happen here. This body of mine feels no less real as that Scyther's blade against my throat._

This isn't just a game. More here's at stake than a 'Game Over' screen.

Erika dodged through side alleys and secret streets on her way to Saffron's Gym. She and Sabrina had been the closest of friends since childhood, and it was their own mutual friendly rivalry that had driven the two to becoming Gym Leaders in the first place.

To Erika, who had spent such a mass of time in Saffron spending time with her friend over the many years of her childhood, Saffron was like a second home. She knew the back routes and hidden paths better than a wild pokemon knew the trails to its nest. She had supposed this would give her an edge in avoiding the main streets, where she was certain that Rocket patrols would be frequent.

Now, she found herself believing she might as well have taken the main road.

_Where is everybody?_ her mind murmured to itself. _There's no citizens, no hiding, frightened populace, no pokemon, and no Rockets…it feels like a ghost town…_

No, it felt _worse_ than a ghost town. Ghost towns were old, dusty, and derelict; in this ultramodern forest of glass towers and shimmering asphalt, everything was too _new_ to feel comfortably abandoned. The pavement seemed to scream through the echoing silence in protest of the lack of feet that typically trod it down; the skyscrapers felt menacing, with their normally bustling doors askew, like limp mouths hanging off a desperate beast pleading for a meal.

Erika suppressed a shudder as she slid beneath a rusty fence, walking down an alley that led to a dirt path, which stealthily led away from the city scene and into the backwards, overgrown edge of an abandoned park. Erika threaded her way through the unpruned trees; if memory served, Sabrina's Gym was located on the other side of this park.

Eventually reaching the small, unassuming brick rectangle that served as her friend's base, Erika fought the urge to dash up to the door, forcing herself to take it slow and stealthily; the city seemed abandoned, but that only heightened the paranoia that somebody was watching.

Erika was surprised to find the building's door unlocked. Had Sabrina, a woman of unique psychic prowess, managed to shield herself and her Gym from Rocket eyes with mental dexterity?

Erika looked about the spick-and-span, recently cleaned building; Sabrina always did like her surroundings just right. The woman herself, however, was nowhere to be found.

_But why is the door unlocked?_ Erika questioned herself; if Sabrina had abandoned her workspace, why not leave it locked? Had Rockets taken her by surprise, and forced her to flee?

Erika decided to look for Sabrina in the only place one would typically find her; her penthouse apartment, seven blocks away.

After a long, secretive trek away from the Gym, Erika reached the glittering golden spiral that housed Sabrina and many other prominent Saffron residents. She couldn't help but look down at her tattered kimono; Suzanne had berated her for wearing such a "frivolous" garment on this mission, but Erika had never truly felt comfortable wearing anything else; even her childhood romps with Sabrina had been done in such a robe.

_Thinking about fashion at a time like this,_ Erika chided herself. She slipped quietly into the building, where a bare and open lobby greeted her. Gliding over to the elevator, she jammed the button; Sabrina lived on the seventeenth floor. (This was, in fact, relatively near the bottom of the building.)

The elevator never came; the building was out of power.

Erika nervously slipped into the stairwell; even this structure was carpeted and luxurious, to please Sabrina and the other bigwigs of Saffron.

As Erika began the climbing trek, she couldn't help but notice the state of the stairway; the carpets were lush and seemed recently cleaned and vacuumed, and the sterling silver handrail was smooth beneath her palm and had been recently polished.

Reaching her friend's floor, Erika approached the apartment door with caution, only for her brain to suddenly receive a foreign whisper.

_Erika,_ spoke a voice in her mind, coming from nowhere and everywhere, _you've made it. Welcome._

Celadon's Gym Leader was startled for a moment, but soon recognized the familiar sensation; Sabrina's psychic greeting. Erika was perturbed, however; her fellow Gym Leader only rarely contacted her this way, knowing that it severely jarred Erika's sense of security.

_What are you waiting for?_ Whispered the phantom voice. _The door is unlocked._

Erika tentatively twisted the handle; Sabrina's words rang true. Erika stepped into the apartment.

Sabrina's back was facing her friend; the woman was sitting in an opulent armchair, which looked out a wall made entirely of windows; through it could be seen nearly all of Saffron's skyscrapers and towers; the high noon sun cascaded over the panes, creating a glittering and dazzling dance of light.

Sabrina was dressed in her typical, favorite Gym Leader attire; a stylish red and black jumpsuit with spotless white leather gloves and boots. Sabrina's long, flowing black hair twisted about its owner's shoulders and tapered into a curling point near Sabrina's elbow. Her hair framed a tight, inviting face that wouldn't have looked out of place on a fashion model.

"Hello, Erika," Sabrina said levelly, not taking her gaze away from the cityscape. _Isn't it gorgeous? The view is even better at dawn or dusk._

Erika, put off by the double communication, answered with, "Sally?" (Sally was Erika's childhood nickname for Sabrina.) "Listen, I know it's been awhile, but I need— "

"My help?" Sabrina finished, still entranced by the view. _What for?_

"What for?!" Erika couldn't help but feel a little critical towards her friend. "Team Rocket has laid your entire town under siege! The city is deserted! What have you been doing?! We're here to help!"

Sabrina sighed and, finally rising from the armchair, turned to face Erika, a solemn look on her face. _Who else is here?_ She asked silently.

"Stop that!" Erika spat out in anger. "You know I hate it! Just so you know, it's just the three of us; my job's to find you, an officer from Celadon is trying to round up Giovanni's subordinates, and Dan's trying to free civilians!"

"He is, is he?" Sabrina said vocally, honoring her friend's wishes, and apparently not caring who this 'Dan' was. "Well, he won't get very far. Team Rocket has them locked up in the subway tunnels and the buildings in the industrial district. All of them require a very special card key to enter."

Erika looked crestfallen. "Great, just great. Do happen to know where this key is?"

Sabrina gave her friend a knowing smile. "Actually, yes. I have it right here." A gleaming card levitated off Sabrina's coffee table over to the air in front of her; Sabrina plucked it out the air and looked down smugly.

"Great!" Erika exclaimed. "Let's go help him out!" She held out her hand for Sabrina to place the card in, but the psychic just kept toying with it, moving it back and forth in between her fingers.

"Sally?" Erika inquired hesitantly.

Sabrina began speaking, staring primarily at the card with a hard-to-read smile as she did so. "Doesn't it seem strange," she muttered, twisting the card between her fingers, "how Team Rocket managed to gain control of an entire city? Doesn't it strike you as odd that hardly a single citizen escaped their wrath? Do you understand what it would have taken?"

Erika just stared at her.

"It would have taken," Sabrina said, her voice almost a whisper now, "someone on the inside." _It would have taken somebody working for them subtly for many months, many __**years**__; somebody prominent, somebody with access, somebody with influence, one of the top dogs. It would have taken somebody nobody would suspect, somebody in a position of authority with lots of power to wield. They would have needed such a person, and if such a person had psychic powers, if such a person used their powers to slowly but effectively warp the minds of the populace into ignoring or passing over the gradual subversion of their city and social order until it was too late to stop the process, then so much the better for Team Rocket._

The truth, the obvious truth, had finally stuck Erika like a falling mountainside. The poor girl was almost in tears.

"Sally," she sobbed, "Sally…oh, no…"

"Oh, _yes!!!_" Sabrina screeched wickedly as she let loose her pokemon.

---

Dan was beginning to suspect that he'd never discover a single citizen on his own.

"This town is _huge,_" he moaned to his sympathetic pokemon. "How am I supposed to find the citizens? Team Rocket could have them anywhere! I may as well be searching all of Chicago!"

Granted, Saffron wasn't nearly that big, but the task seemed no less impossible.

"I'm starting think maybe I should just give up," he sighed.

"Well now," came a taunting voice from behind, "that's a bummer. I thought I could expect better of you, Mr. Fawcett."

Dan and his pokemon made a sudden about-face to see, a few dozen meters down the street, the flamboyant figure of Masque.

There was no mistaking him. The blue coat with it's ridiculous gold buttons, the ruffled white blouse, black dress pants, buckled shoes, wild brown woody hair, and of course the prominent face-wide pearl mask gave no room for doubt.

Dan, on guard, ordered his pokemon ready.

"Artemis," he began as the Electabuzz took a fighting stance, "get ready t--"

"Oh please, sir," Masque said cordially, "If I wanted a brawl I would have sent a pokemon of mine out to strike you from behind sometime during the last fifteen or so minutes that I've been following you." His smile grew broader. "If it's Giovanni you're after, there's nothing to fight over. I told you I hate the man and I hate his gang; if it's Team Rocket you're gunning for, you'll find no truer ally than me."

"_Liar!_" Screamed Missy, dashing forward to the head of Dan's entourage.. "You filthy, lying, evil man! Don't you _dare_ come any closer!"

Masque turned a calculating eye to her. Though he did not directly understand the language of pokemon, the unique intuitive wavelength that allowed him to read and see into the minds of pokemon more or less allowed him to get the message.

"Well now, my little missy," he began. (This phrase was especially galling to Missy; Dan would interpret the phrase as a diminutive, childish form of the word "miss", but Missy knew that Masque was referring to something else: her _name._) "Don't be so quick to judge people on biased standards of right and wrong. I'll act cordially to you, you do so to me, and some secrets will remain mutual for a bit longer."

Masque was, of course, taunting her with the knowledge that he was fully aware of her human identity.

"Why should I trust you?" Dan put forth, still not off his guard.

"Well," Masque said, going off an apparently memorized mental checklist in a singsong voice, "besides the fact that I've had you in my mercy for some time but decided to expose myself, and besides the fact that I never once betrayed you back in Celadon, I suppose there's the matter of the truth behind you escape."

This caught Dan off guard. "What—What are you talking about?" he demanded warily.

Masque just gave a shrill laugh that echoed down the empty city and sent chills through the body of whomever heard it. "Oh," he began with fake excitement, "it's simply _marvelous_, I must tell you. Of course, I myself am not _completely_ positive, but…" and here he gave a knowing wink. "How about you see for yourself? Go to the last room in the second floor of the Prewitt Hotel two miles west from here," he teased. "Oh, and just so you know, you've only got about an hour left to catch them there before they leave, so I'd hurry if I were you."

And with this cryptic statement, Masque took off down the street, his flowing blue coat vanishing into one of the side alleys.

Dan and his pokemon gave pursuit, but when they reached the lane, there was no clue to be seen of the desensitizer.

_Should I do as he said?_ Dan mused to himself. Thinking it over, he finally told his pokemon, "To the Prewitt Hotel. We've barely any time left!"

Dan's pokemon weren't keen on taking Masque's advice, knowing the creepy desensitizer a bit better than Dan, but trainers were trainers; their orders were meant to be followed. His team sped west.

Eventually making it to the building with eighteen minutes left of the hour which Masque had mandated. Climbing up to the second story, the boy and his team overheard voices coming from the last room in the hall. They were speaking rapidly and indiscernibly, and one didn't even seem to sound remotely like a normal human being.

"Whoever those people are, they're talking a bit to freely to be Rocket prisoners," Dan warned his pokemon in a low voice. "Are you ready?"

Dan's pokemon looked up at him with resoluteness. His gaze passed over them; Ruby, the powerful Ponyta given to him by Blaine as a parting gift; Nemo, the Seadra he had rescued in his voyage to Celadon; Nightshade, the sullen Oddish he had rescued from Team Rocket's base; Missy, who he knew as Storm the Eevee, who had been with him the many months since his arrival in the pokemon world; Artemis, Nightshade's partner and a hyperactive Electabuzz; and Armor, the bumbling Muk who had been Dan's first legitimate pokemon.

This team had been through so much with him. They had fought against Rico and won their freedom together. Dan didn't doubt them.

"You are," he noted simply. "Ruby," he ordered, "kick down the door."

The Ponyta complied with force, knocking the door off its hinges. Dan and co. spilled into the room, ready for any danger.

An astonishing sight greeted them.

Officer Suzanne, startled, turned to face the team with an apprehensive look on her face. She had been in the room, and appeared to have been conversing with—

Dan gasped.

It made sense now. The strange-sounding voice sounded so odd because of a voice scrambler. Opposite Suzanne stood a figure with whom she had been speaking; this figure was draped in a long, flowing cloak that shrouded its face.

The person whom had handed Dan the key and engineered his escape back in Team Rocket's base.

---

"Sally," demanded a tearful Erika as she tried to help her Tangela maneuver past the punch of her foe's Kadabra, "_why?!_"

"Why?" Whispered Sabrina, who had not spoken a word since the match had started, giving her pokemon instructions mentally to disable her opponent's strategies. "You want to know why? I'll tell you, dearest.

"Did you ever stop to think why you, a girl from a completely different town, were my best friend?"

"I—"

"Of course you didn't. That would require empathy on your part, wouldn't it?! It's because you were my _only_ friend, Erika!" Sabrina's rage seemed to transfer to her pokemon, which began fighting more offensively. "Did you ever see me play around with any other girl, any other child? No! Because people have always hated me, me and my powers!"

The Kadabra picked up the armchair with psychic levitation and flung it at Erika's Tangela, which barely avoided it. "Even my parents were leery of me," the traitorous Gym Leader continued. "Only you looked past it, and even then it was a shallow friendship; you never embraced my abilities, you always demanded I hide them whenever you were around!

"When you said we should both go after the Gym Leader position," Sabrina sustained, "I thought to myself, 'Why not?' I knew I had the talent…and Gym Leaders were public figures, were heroes! So long I worked to achieve worthiness to take that title, and when I did, people hated me! The police offices and public government refused to cooperate with my Gym at the beginning! Over two hundred letters were written to the Indigo Plateau to demand my removal from office!

"I ignored them and persevered," Sabrina continued. "I worked long and hard, and proved myself worthy of their adorations! So many things I did to help this town…Eventually the people quieted down, and slowly their feelings towards me warped into respect."

The Kadabra had backed the Tangela into a corner, and was going to deliver a blow from its spoon, covered in psychic energy, but the Grass-type sprayed a burst of spores in its foe's face and scuttled past the blinded pokemon to safety.

"Respect?" whispered Erika. "Then why—"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHY!!!" Sabrina roared. "I was satisfied at first, but I soon discovered that 'respect' becomes all-too-synonymous with 'fear'…the people respected me…but they never forgave me of the sin of being different."

Sabrina began swaying as though drunk, the words tumbling from her lips in a torrent.

"Even then I could have lived with it had _you_ not eventually risen to become Celadon's Gym Leader. It took you a little longer than me; your talent has always been diminutive compared to mine, after all. Almost instantly your town loved you. They adored you! Worshipped you! I watched in silence. Erika, the lovely public servant! Erika, the girl who could do no wrong! Erika, everyone's favorite Gym Leader!" _Damn you, Erika! Why do they love you so?!_

Her sudden lapse into psychic communication affected her Kadabra. It began moving erratically and oddly.

_I hated you so much, Erika. I'd sit in my Gym, knowing every challenger who came by loathed my abilities, knowing these same challengers would see you and worship your perfection. That's when Team Rocket made their offer._

_I turned them away at first. I was no criminal. But then a man came to explain everything to me. He was wonderful…an enigma even to my clairvoyant mind, with abilities to match my own and a grace in both manner and speech. His shining mask entranced me as he spoke…_

Her Kadabra was standing almost stock-still. Erika's Tangela grabbed it with it vines and slammed it into the wall, knocking it out. Sabrina recalled it in a trance and sent out her next pokemon, a Gastly, as though she didn't even care about the action before her.

_He told me that Team Rocket was more than just crime. He told me that people like he and I, people who were hated by the cruel masses, were loved, cherished, and accepted into the Rocket fold as easily as a newborn pokemon into its mother's nest. He showed me that our abilities were sought after and revered; not the fearful respect I had generated as a Gym Leader, but love and adoration! He told me the truth that redefined my life; 'If the people of Saffron City hate you for no reason,' he said, 'give them a reason.'_

By now Sabrina's Gastly had leeched the life of its opponent's Tangela; Erika sent out a Venusaur, which devastated the ghost pokemon with a blast of energy. Sabrina, still trance-like, sent out a Ninetales.

"That's why," she whispered as the fiery fox shot a tongue of flame at its opponent.

Erika ordered her Venusaur to dodge and pleaded with her friend.

"Sally, please," she implored, "stop this…let me help you…"

Sabrina shook her head as the two pokemon met and grappled with one another in a desperate fury.

"I'm sorry, Erika," she said, both verbally and in the mind; "Sally's beyond your help now."  
_I'm sorry, Erika,_ she said, both verbally and in the mind; _Sally's beyond your help now._

---  
"What—What is this?" Dan demanded of the upset Suzanne and the shrouded figure.

"Mr. Fawcett—this, it's—" Suzanne began, but the hooded figure cut her off.

"I'll explain," it said. Striding forward, the hooded figure addressed the boy. "I'm Suzanne's inside man on Team Rocket. A double agent. I secretly assisted her operation in Celadon and engineered this sting maneuver. As you recall, I also set up your escape."

"You told me, back in Celadon," Dan said slowly, "That the next time we met you'd introduce yourself properly. Take off your hood."

The figure seemed to hesitate, and then it put forth, "Not yet. You'll understand the obvious reasons why I'd like to keep my identity secret a bit longer…"

But Dan had had enough. He said, "_Now!_" with force; Ruby's mane flared up, and the other pokemon took battle-ready stances. The figure seemed to eye the pokemon with apprehension.

"Very well," it conceded. A gloved hand reached up and plucked a voice scrambler from the blackness of the hood. The same hands reached up and pulled down the hood, revealing the figure's face.

Dan couldn't help but gasp.

It was Rico Tyler.


	11. Chapter 11

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 02/16/2009 on deviantART. I don't remember much about writing this chapter.

***

Erika backed against the penthouse wall, crying in fearful despair; her opponent's Ninetales cast an eerie light about it as its tails wavered, summoning enchanted fire to spin about the room. The blaze had claimed Erika's Venusaur very quickly, and Celadon's Gym Leader was so busy trying not to avoid being consumed by the fiendish fire that she had not yet sent out a third pokemon.

The heat licked her skin painfully; the tears that ran down her cheeks upon her friend's betrayal had long since evaporated in the face of the flames.

"What's the matter, dearest?" called her tormentor's voice mockingly through the orange haze. _If you don't defend yourself with a pokemon soon, my Ninetales might just become a murderer!_

Apparently not caring that her apartment was being destroyed, Sabrina taunted her former friend in a kind of trance. She shielded herself from harm with her psychic powers, and turned over the card key that was the salvation to Saffron's citizens within her hands.

Finally, Sabrina ordered her pokemon to acquiesce with a sneer; "Come along, Fyre, we'd better ease up. I suppose I can't kill the woman who thought she treated me decently." The Ninetales complied, the blaze dying down. Erika sunk to her knees, panting, desperate to draw in a breath that wouldn't char her lungs.

_Send out my next victim, darling,_ Sabrina ordered her rival. Erika shakily got up, and fearfully cast a glance at her opponent; Sabrina leered back in a sort of manic half-sanity. Erika struggled to find any trace of her former friend within the façade, but despaired, thinking it was a fool's errand. She sent out her Bellsprout.

Sabrina eyed the sprout pokemon with no small degree of contempt, but her stare didn't last long. She gave a negligent jerk of the head, but made no sound.

Saffron's Gym Leader must have been communicating to her pokemon through her psychic abilities. Erika hadn't heard Sabrina give any orders, but Fyre the Ninetales seemed to have received them; she gave an understanding nod, and then a shining orb gathered at the tip of each of her tails. Erika and her Bellsprout eyed them warily as the spheres grew in size; then, suddenly, they shattered, sending a wave of rainbow dust flowing towards the astonished Bellsprout. It struggled against the shining gale, suffering no apparent damage, but then suddenly grew befuddled and slumped over.

Once Fyre's attack was over, it got up drunkenly, very confused, and it didn't seem to hear Erika's desperate orders. The eyes of the Ninetales glowed purple as its arcane powers lifted up the Grass-type. Fyre proceeded to slam Erika's Bellsprout into the charred wall several times.

"Stop it," Erika cried tearfully, unable to watch the abuse. "Please stop!"

Sabrina simply shrugged, and ordered her Ninetales to let down the Grass-type. It slumped to the charred floor, unconscious.

As Erika rushed over to her pokemon to examine it before returning it, Sabrina taunted her fellow Gym Leader, _Oh dear, it looks as though everyone's favorite Gym Leader is in a bit of a bind! If only she had some scrap of talent; maybe she'd be able to save herself!! Look at her in her weakness, crying like a child!_

Erika ignored the traitor's taunts as she recalled her Bellsprout. "Such cruelty…" she whispered, looking at the girl she had thought as a friend. "Sally, what happened to you?"

Sabrina's face contorted with sheer hatred as Erika suddenly felt her body stiffen out of her control. Sabrina stretched out her hand, channeling her powers into her opponent. Erika found herself flying backwards; she slammed into a wall with painful force that would have made her cry out if she was able. Sabrina slowly stalked up to Celadon's leader, her hand still before her, looking murderous.

"Sally's gone, Erika," she murmured under her breath, and that murmur was ten times more terrifying than her half-mad shrieks. "You'll never see her again…never, ever…"

And Erika suddenly found her breathing labored as some unseen psychic force began constricting her windpipe. Gasping breaths, trying to stay conscious, she stared down at Sabrina, who was now standing only a few inches in front of her.

_Popularity won't save you, Erika,_ Sabrina whispered into her head. _Looks won't save you, charm won't save you. All the goodness in the world can't protect you from my wrath. Only power. And you don't have that. Power's all that matters…nothing else…power and talent, that's what he told me…what I have, and others lack, that makes me better—and he was right…right…_

And then, just as Erika felt she was going to slip into death, her throat loosened, and her body was her own, and her body slid down and touched the floor. Erika stood there woozily, trying to clear her head, but suddenly noticed the cause of her sudden freedom: Sabrina was collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"Erika, Erika, I'm so sorry," she cried, slumped on the ground. "Forgive me, I'm sorry, I've done wrong…"

"S-Sally?" Erika asked tentatively, still lightheaded and unsure whether or not to trust her former friend.

"I told you before, Erika, Sally's gone…but I want her back…" Sabrina said. She sobbed, and between the sobs, words came out.

"He whispered in my head, Erika; told me stories of glory, told me why I was better, taught me insanity. His cruelty infected me; it's my own fault, I saw what he was behind all his pretense, but I let his evil take me in…forgive me, Erika."

Sabrina leaned up, handing over the card key. "Save them, Erika; I told you where they were; atone for me. Take Fyre with you…I'm sorry…"

Erika wordlessly accepted the card and, with the Ninetales at her side, left the devastated apartment, her friend's sobs echoing behind her.

_Masque…_ Erika thought as, for the first time, real and genuine hatred welled within her; _All the torments in the world aren't enough for you._

---  
"What is this?" Dan demanded angrily. "What the hell is this?!"

"Listen," began Suzanne, but Rico cut her off. "Like I said before, Dan, I'm Suzanne's inside man."

"You're Giovanni's second! No way I believe you!"

"I told you before, I'm a professional battler. I'm one of several individuals personally trained at the Indigo Plateau to be battling experts specifically for the purpose of infiltrating and enchanting criminal groups, like Team Rocket. Giovanni, so impressed by my talent, naturally let me rise through the ranks quickly until I was promoted to essentially be his right hand—fairly recently, in fact. Placed so, I was in an ideal position to foil many of Team Rocket's plots; I contacted Suzanne, as chief of local law enforcement, and we began secretly working in tandem."

"If that's true, why didn't you free all the captive pokemon?!" Dan demanded.

"I couldn't do that. I'm still one man versus several hundred; if I made it obvious, the Rockets would kill me and begin operating in even greater secrecy, making it that much more difficult for my successor. Not to mention that Giovanni is hardly a trusting individual, and his other lieutenant, Masque, is just his equal in danger and cunning. I had to act in total, complete secrecy, and do isolated, small jobs, to avoid suspicion."

"You broke me out of captivity," Dan said a bit more levelly.

"That's right."

"But you still tried to stop me at the door," Dan pressed.

"I had to put up some appearance of trying to stop you."

"So," Dan said, "I didn't actually beat you…you threw the battle?"

"Actually, no. You genuinely overpowered me. My plan was to beat you in battle but deliberately entrust you with incompetent guards from whom you would escape to freedom. I must admit, your method was both enlightening and exciting, though it did lose me some credit with the boss. I believe Masque now has more pull than me."

"Sorry," Dan apologized. "And also for, uh," he said embarrassedly, looking at Rico's nose, which still looked painful and swollen from when Dan punched him. Rico realized what he was looking at and shrugged, his deep blue hair bouncing lightly.

"I resigned myself for worse wounds than a broken nose when I decided to play traitor with Team Rocket," he said. "But does this mean you believe me?" He asked.

"Yeah, actually," Dan said, his pokemon relaxing.

"By the way," Suzanne interjected, "How did you know where we were meeting?"

Dan gave a start. "Masque told me," he said uneasily. Before he hadn't given the desensitizer much thought, but now the man's knowledge worried him; this implied he knew about Rico's traitorous activities.

Rico apparently thought the same. "What?!" He gasped. "Oh, Arceus; I've got to move! I've got to Giovanni before him!" He made to leave the room, but Dan cut him off.

"Wait a moment, where are Saffron's citizens? Where are the hostages?"

"They're locked in the buildings and subways of the industrial district," Rico said, stopping. "But you'll need a special card key to free them, and I'm afraid there are only two copies. Giovanni's got one and Sabrina has the other."

"Sabrina?" Dan asked, put off guard.

"She's been working as an insider for Team Rocket," Suzanne explained. "Rico was just telling me."

"You should split up," Rico advised. "Dan, you and Suzanne should head over to Sabrina's and get that key. Dan, send your pokemon to the industrial district to take out the guards who are guarding the prisoners while you're off getting the key. That should make the evacuation easier. Your pokemon should be able to handle the job even without your guidance; I deliberately left inept guards over the district."

"Why my pokemon?" asked Dan. "Why not yours?"

"My team is too well-known amongst the Rockets, and I'm afraid Suzanne's might not be up to it. You're going to need two trainers with two teams to safely approach Sabrina; I'll loan you my pokemon, Dan—with the exception of Tyrant, I need him—so you should be able to safely take on Sabrina."

Rico handed over his poke balls and left after giving directions to both Sabrina's apartment and the industrial district. Dan turned to his pokemon, told them "Well, you heard him. See ya soon," and they split ways.

"That Masque is more trouble than he's worth, eh," grumbled Armor as the six pokemon dashed off to free the prisoners. Behind him, Ruby gave a snort.

"For once, we agree," she said.

Missy, leading the group, said nothing; she wondered whether he had told anybody her true identity yet…

They sped through street after street, down countless alleyways. They went much farther and faster than humans could have done—_Pokemon are made of stronger stuff than humans_, Missy told herself—but they still had to take breaks for Nemo's sake; the Seadra wasn't used to traveling great distances on land.

During one such break, Missy found herself pacing back and forth. She was a bit out of breath, to be sure, but still had quite a bit of endurance left in her small, furry body. _We must have ran twenty blocks since we left Rico and the others,_ she thought to herself, marveling yet again at her new abilities.

She'd still take being human any day, of course, but she was learning to appreciate what this new form had to offer. Deep in the back of her mind, a quiet fear whispered that she was becoming so accustomed to her body that she was resigning herself to never be human again.

_Don't think like that,_ Missy chided herself again. _This isn't the time._

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh I'm so excited to think we're going to be fighting without a trainer to help us do you think we'll be able to handle it—" Artemis began her typical hyperactive tirade.

"Of course," said her partner Nightshade, cutting her off. As usual, he spoke lowly and with an apparent lack of interest. "We took down Rico's pokemon, you heard it from the man's mouth. If he considers the guards useless, we should be able to beat them. It's not like that boy ever did anything anyway."

Upon hearing these words, Missy's temper flared. "Dan's done plenty," she said strutting over to the Oddish. "I can't believe you'd—"

"Excuse me," interrupted Ruby. "I'm normally not one to spoil a good argument, but don't we have a job to do?"

Missy slunk back, ashamed at having been taught prudence by the normally reckless Ponyta.

The group continued its trek over. Making it to the industrial center, the group clambered up a dull iron wall, peeking over. There were about ten Rockets there, all guarding various entrances.

"Okay," whispered Missy, "even if they are as dumb as Rico claims, that's a lot of pokemon to fight. We should try to take down the Rockets first without giving them a chance to send out their pokemon."

"Attacking humans…is that ethical…?" Asked Nemo.

"You're worried about ethics when dealing with criminals?!" Ruby snapped. "Give me a break!!" Nemo fell quiet.

"Alright," Missy said, "I think I've got an idea."

---

Nightshade, despite his sullenness, played his part very well. He slowly meandered down the streets towards the group of Rockets slowly, walking with the gait of a wounded pokemon, acting as though he didn't even notice the presence of the curious goons nearby. He acted so badly beaten, the Rockets didn't even bother calling out any pokemon as they gathered around him, whispering to each other in curiosity or excitement—none of them seemed particularly worried about what they believed to be a wounded pokemon.

The grunts sufficiently distracted, Missy and Artemis snuck up behind one side of a group of the grunts; Ruby, Nemo, and Armor slowly drew close to the opposite edge of the group, effectively catching the grunts in a pincer movement.

Nightshade, keeping a lookout for his comrades despite his playacting, saw the pokemon were in place, and suddenly leapt to his feet, springing high, spreading glittering powder all across the group. The grunts clutched their eyes, shrieking—they were temporarily blinded—and were easy targets for the five pokemon who ran in, dealing non-lethal blows; soon all the grunts were unconscious on the pavement.

The pokemon were just starting to congratulate each other on a job well done when a voice reached this.

"What—What is this?"

Erika was rushing for them, a Ninetales at her side and a gleaming plastic card in her hand. She stopped and looked down at the pokemon.

"You're all Dan's pokemon!" She said. "And look, the grey Eevee…oh, what's your name again…Storm! Storm, is your trainer here?"

Missy shook her head.

"What? Then what are you…? Oh, nevermind! I've got the key! Let's get these poor souls out of here and then we can worry about your trainer."

Dan's pokemon gathered around as Erika unlocked the prison building.

---

"You asked for me, sir?" Masque fought to keep his voice away from mockery as he sat in Giovanni's makeshift office high in a gleaming skyscraper.

"Indeed. I have reasons to suspect your loyalty, Masque," Giovanni said in a tone meant to intimidate.

It did not have the desired effect on the man sitting in front of him.

"Oh? Why?"

"An off-duty grunt reported seeing you tailing the young escapee from our Celadon headquarters," Giovanni rattled off, pacing the room. "Another grunt apparently saw you confront the boy, and leave without even trying to attack him."

"He beat Rico."

"So what! You still should have tried, you fool!"

"I don't have any pokemon capable of battling on that level."

"You have that Scyther! The best damn combatant in the entire organization!!"

"I must remind you that my Scyther was recently beaten by a rabble of starving prisoners." Behind Masque, the Scyther gave a low hiss. He didn't like being reminded of his previous failure.

"_Why_ were you following the boy if you had no intention of confronting him?" Giovanni demanded.

"I found it funny," Masque replied lightly. Giovanni slammed his arm down on his desk in anger.

"Damn you, Masque! Don't play games with me!"

"You cannot control a marionette with only one string sir," Masque replied coolly. Giovanni gave him a murderous look.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"That should actually be the least of your worries sir," Masque said, "as Rico Tyler is at this very moment conversing with a Celadon police officer, intending to give away all of our secrets."

Giovanni looked at him in surprise. "Wha—what makes you say that?"

"The boy told me." What a bare-faced lie! "That's how the boy escaped, by the way. Rico let him slip past. Do you really think an urchin like that stood a chance against Rico?

"And, now that Rico's shown his true colors, I wouldn't be surprised if the boy and his little friends have already subdued Sabrina."

Giovanni cursed under his breath.

"I suppose," began the crime boss, "that I'm going to have to take care of this myself."

"As you should, sir," Masque said, bowing.

"Go ahead to Viridian. Prepare the Gym for my coming," Giovanni ordered. Masque looked up.

"Might I ask why?" the desensitizer asked.

"If Rico's really turned traitor, our operation here's jeopardized regardless of how quickly I take care of the little vermin. I'm going to have to retreat to my oldest and most secret hideout. Make sure everything is up to date," Giovanni said.

"Alright."

"And I'll be borrowing your Scyther for a little while."

"You certainly do seem to be enjoying his company a lot lately, sir," Masque said, the slightest hint of a taunt in his voice.

"Also," he said, "I don't care what happens to Rico…but, if you get a hold of the boy and his silver Eevee, leave them unscathed, would you? And bring them back with you?"

Giovanni thought for the briefest of seconds before saying, "That Eevee's coat really is that rare, then?"

Masque almost laughed. It was a test, and an obvious one. "Actually, _sir_," he said, jestingly putting emphasis on the word, "they're both rather special. I'll explain back at the Gym."

Masque made to leave, but stopped at the door. "Saffron's a big city. How are you going to get all your eggs into one basket?"

Giovanni stared out the window. "I've got a plan."

Masque smirked to himself. "I'm sure you do."


	12. Chapter 12

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 04/19/2009 on deviantART. The next four chapters after this are, I think, some of my best.

***

Missy tried her best not to stumble, trailing at the back of the party as Erika's borrowed Ninetales, Fyre, led the way.

She, Dan's pokemon, and the Gym Leader had unlocked the location where the imprisoned citizens of Saffron City were being held—the buildings in the industrial district, and the connecting subway tunnels—but when she had entered the makeshift prison, the doors had slammed shut behind her, trapping her and the others inside. Prisoners Erika had spoken to suggested that someone had remotely sealed off the buildings.

The group had traversed the tunnels, looking for a way out, but there was nothing to discover save frightened and tired people. However, Erika soon learned from the citizens that old passages in the deepest subway lines had been discovered that led down to sunken catacombs.

"When I spent time here in Saffron as a young girl," Erika had whispered to the pokemon as she traversed down the stony steps, "I always heard a story that said that Saffron was built over the sunken ruins of a much older city from ancient times, which had been destroyed in an earthquake. Old people remembered going down into tunnels beneath the city to explore the primeval town, before the Indigo Plateau ordered it be shut off from the public due to a danger to safety." It looked as though the stories were right; the tunnels beneath the subways stretched down passages of aged stone, carved with drawings of people and pokemon that gave off a mystic, ancient air.

There were old-fashioned lights hanging from the ceilings; the type one would expect to see in a mine. They had no doubt been installed by excavators and explorers who had discovered and wished to probe the ancient city. The machines gave off light that was a dull, flickering yellow; it seemed altogether too pale to be of any tangible effect in dispersing the compact darkness of the passages. The air was stagnant, but breathable.

"How's the air down here managed to support all these people without running out, eh?" Armor had half grumbled, half whispered.

"Well, back in my old world, cavernous places like mines always have air shafts leading back to the surface in case of cave-ins," Missy whispered back. "I'm guessing something like that is in place here."

Many of the imprisoned cityfolk, tired of living in the cramped buildings and subways, had moved down here; they eked out a living on subterranean plants. Lichens, mushrooms, and the like all grew down in the ruins in droves, and the plants were thankfully edible, though bland.

_Those damned Rockets,_ Missy thought to herself. _If the plants hadn't been here the entire population could have starved!_

The group had wandered around the sunken ruin for nearly a whole day; Ruby, Fyre, and Artemis took turns leading, letting their powers provide better light than the ancient electric contraptions could ever hope to do, while the rest of the group stumbled along afterwards. They took breaks speaking to depressed townsfolk, and once slept for an hour or two on a bed of moss only slightly more comfortable than the crumbling stonework of the city. It seemed as though they'd be spending their whole lives wandering Giovanni's trap with all of Saffron's citizens, until…

A voice echoed through the ruins, jerking everyone out of their despondent stupors. It emanated from the old loudspeakers scattered throughout the stonework from the days when the city of Saffron led tours through the ruins. Barely discernable, being garbled by the ancient equipment as it was, the voice echoing through the speakers was nonetheless eerily chilling.

"Prisoners," it said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I seek Celadon's Erika and her rebel pokemon."

Erika turned pale and put her mouth over her hands, not making a sound. Ruby's flames erupted as she glanced around warily; Nemo seemed to shrink as he succumbed to intimidation, and Missy's heart seemed as though it was beating five times its normal rate.

"Come to the sunken arena in the heart of the ruins if you want to win your freedom," the voice instructed. "Other prisoners are welcome if they pine for a spectacle." The message ended.

Erika, hands still covering her lips, glanced down at Dan's pokemon fearfully. They stared back; equally fearful, but also resolute. Missy, at the head of the group, locked eyes with the Gym Leader for a few seconds before giving a brief nod.

That seemed to perk up Erika's resolve. Her face flushed with color, and she gave a purposeful, if somewhat shaky, nod back. "We go," she ordered.

Though the group had not yet been to the arena, and didn't know its location amongst the other skeletons of the former civilization, they simply followed the others in their migration to the area.

They eventually reached a spiraling walkway under a crumbling mosaic ceiling. When they stepped out into the arena, Missy nearly gasped.

She was forcibly reminded of the Roman coliseum of her old world. A massive circular amphitheater, of comparable size to Italy's landmark, sunk several feet into the ground. Marble benches lined the battlefield at the bottom in staggered rows going upwards; the seats, while crumbling and in disrepair, were still magnificent to behold.

Scattered throughout the arena were massive statues carved from stone; all were the shape of pokemon. An ornate Dragonite loomed over one section of seating, leering judgment upon those who dared to sit near it, while a stone Moltres spread its wings gloriously; the sculptor had expertly captured the texture of both feathers and flames, which had not been ground out despite the many centuries. Artemis gazed in wonderment at a fierce twenty-foot Electabuzz made of smoothed stone.

Ringing the top of the ancient place were pillars in the shape of more statues. Each of these, however, was in the form of a human. One pillar was a mighty stone warrior wearing the skin of a pokemon on his back, who was raising his spear to the heavens in an act of bloodlust. Another was a shrewd-looking old man with a sword buckled at his hip; next to him was the effigy of a cold-eyed woman with a Pidgey perched on her shoulder.

"I've heard rumors of this place," Missy overheard Nightshade telling Artemis. "Back in the wild, before I was caught. Old pokemon would whisper tales of a magic battleground beneath a human city, built by the same architects who made the Tower of the Dead in Lavender Town." He was so in awe that he forgot to be cynical.

Denizens of Saffron were scattered intermittently amongst the marble seating on one half of the coliseum. A handful were staring at the statues in wonderment, but most were glancing across at the seats on the opposite side of the dome in nervousness. Missy soon realized why.

Humans were seated on the benches on the opposite side; cocky, cruel-faced humans dressed in black. Team Rocket. There were literally hundreds of them; they murmured to each other excitedly, and looked down at the arena floor in anticipation.

At the edge of the battleground in the bottom of the stadium, there were two ornately carved stone chairs, not unlike thrones, sitting opposite each other on the edge of the battlefield. The throne on the Saffron side was empty, but the one on the Rocket side was not; it was occupied by a man in his late forties. He was wearing a deep, violent red suit with a black 'R' emblazoned on the left breast. His hair was black and beginning to thin. Even from far away, Missy thought he gave off an intimidating air.

"Who's that?" She asked, pointing the man out to the other pokemon. Ruby, Nemo, and Armor seemed bamboozled, but Artemis gasped and Nightshade let out a low hiss. "Giovanni," he murmured in a furious whisper. "The boss of Team Rocket."

Missy looked back in realization, before she became aware of a commotion behind her. The other pokemon were restraining Artemis, who had a scary look on her face and was trying to break free and race to the arena floor. Finally, exhausted, she stopped struggling and fell to the stone stairs, panting angrily.

"Artemis," Missy asked, "what on earth is wrong with you?!"

"Let-me-go-let-me-at-him-let-me-at-the-bastard-he-killed-my-trainer-and-had-all-my-friends-brainwashed-I'll-kill-him-I'll-rip-him-limb-from-limb-" the Electabuzz growled in a fierce torrent. Getting to her feet, Missy and the others tried restraining her once more.

"What's happened to you, Artemis…? That's…not good thinking at all…!" Nemo said with his trademark hesitancy.

Missy and Armor also put in their pleas, but Ruby held her silence, apparently neither approving nor disliking her comrade's rage. Nightshade wasn't even paying attention; he was leering down at Giovanni with a fury that seemed almost tangible.

The commotion with Artemis attracted the attention of both Giovanni and his subordinates. The crime boss raised a microphone to his mouth; his voice echoed once more across the sunken metropolis.

"Erika and friends," his voice boomed mockingly, "center stage, please."

Erika gulped, but traversed downwards; the pokemon followed, Artemis barely restraining herself from breaking into a dash.

Reaching the cold stone of the arena floor, Erika got her first good look at her opponent—being human, she had been unable to make out Giovanni from a distance as the pokemon did.

As the girl eyed him warily, Giovanni, rose to his feet and began walking towards her.. "Welcome, welcome," he said, his voice raised; though he no longer used the speaking system, the rock of the arena walls bounced his voice around loudly. "Erika—and citizens of Saffron, as well! I am the charitable head of the Rocket organization."

Erika's mouth was an edged line. "You're Giovanni?"

He stopped, and stood rigidly. "Certainly."

"What do you want with Saffron? Why have you trapped us here?" Erika voiced loudly. Behind her, citizens began making similar protests.

"For two reasons," Giovanni answered. "The two reasons that are the desired end result of everything Team Rocket does—profit, and power.

"Did you, the people of Saffron, realize what a proverbial goldmine you'd been standing over your entire lives? Of course not. The decision to close off this ruin was one of the worst ever made by the Pokemon League. The place is an archeologist's dream; the murals, statues, pottery, and old tools by themselves are worth a small fortune apiece, not to mention all the gold and precious gems which, despite centuries of looting, still litter the stone halls here.

"Of course, it's more than petty treasures that interest me. This place is a treasure trove of history. I may not strike you as the historical type, but consider this; in ancient times, humans were closer to pokemon than we modern folk can even imagine. Wars of great power were fought between factions of unified humans and their pokemon, wars that make out trivial conflicts today seem like a friendly disagreement. Humans had open dealings with the legendary pokemon, beings of fathomless power.

"With the advent of technology, the mysticism in culture declined; and so did, I believe, the overall power of the human race and their pokemon counterparts. This city, along with Pokemon Tower, is one of two intact large-scale creations of the ancient culture that existed in the Kanto region. And Pokemon Tower, the disgusting tourist trap that it is, has been desecrated beyond all salvation. I've always pondered the possibilities of power that tapping into the unknown ancient secrets would give me, and this ruin was my best bet.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't simply waltz in and begin a large-scale excavation; this entire goddamn city is smothered beneath that modern mess above. So, I had to get rid of the people before I could get to work down here. But, no sooner did I shepherd you all safely into the factories and subways that you all scuttled your way down here through old passages, infesting my dream like so many vermin." Giovanni shook his head gruffly.

"I've been wondering how to handle the problem. I can't simply kill you; too much attention, you see. I can't let you loose, either; you'd scurry back to the Pokemon League and then where would I be? But letting you defile this city is not an option. So, I pose my dilemma to you—what to do with you all?"

The people sitting in the amphitheater began screaming, begging, and ordering all at once, raising a din that seemed to shake the ancient statues. Giovanni held up his hand for silence. "No unification," he lamented, "no common goal. All of you are in the same predicament, and yet you cannot agree. That's the problem with society, isn't it, my peons?" The assembled Rockets all gave a hasty shouted agreement.

"I've come up with a compromise—we're going to have a little contest, myself and your self-appointed champion." He nodded at Erika. "The winner decides what to do about you all."

The grunts made a cacophony of hoots and cheers; when it died down, Erika demanded, "What contest?!"

"Why," Giovanni responded, raising his arms grandiosely, "the very sort of thing this stadium was built for: a pokemon battle."

"No," Erika said. A hush fell over the crowd.

"You will," Giovanni said levelly.

"I said _no_," Erika said, louder.

Giovanni's face tightened, but rather than lash out, he turned and strode back to his seat. "I foresaw this little burst of defiance," he said, "and that's why I decided to bring a failsafe with me."

Erika and the pokemon gave a start when a group of Rockets in the seating separated, revealing three cages—inside them were Rico, Officer Suzanne, and Dan. All three were unconscious.

Giovanni was by now seated on the ancient throne. "Fight me," he said menacingly, "or…well, I'm certain you know what will happen."

Erika's eyes teared up, and she looked down at the assembled pokemon desperately. They looked back. _Yes,_ their eyes said. _We will._

She nodded and addressed the blood-clad man. "Fine," she said. As Giovanni nodded his approval, she continued. "But," she added, "since you have three hostages, I'm allowed to send out all the pokemon I have with me; my four battle-capable ones, and Dan's six."

The Rockets booed and screamed, but abruptly stopped when Giovanni yelled for silence. "Agreed," he said. "My six powerful pokemon against your ten weak, tired ones. I am a fair person, after all. But—since I agreed to your little rule, you will concede to mine; you send out your pokemon first, and I send out whatever I deem appropriate in response. Pokemon, once sent out, will not be recalled until they are no longer battle capable.

"Now, pick your fighter."

Erika looked down at Dan's pokemon and sent out her three own, along with Fyre; she appraised them, until suddenly, Artemis gave a howl, turned tail, and ran out to the battlefield despite Erika and her allies' protests. Taking a battle stance, electricity crackled between the rods on her head as she ground and bared her fangs at her hated adversary.

Giovanni glared back.

"So be it."


	13. Chapter 13

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 05/10/2009 on deviantART. I _**hate**_ writing battle sequences, just so you know.

***

"Go, Hypno!" Giovanni flung forth a poke ball; it flashed and there stood the yellow-furred tapir, swinging its pendulum ominously. Artemis howled, flashing her claws, and charged at the Psychic-type, her claws sparkling with electrical energy. She spun, intending to harm her opponent as badly as she'd like to harm its master, but just before she connected the Hypno flashed and was gone.

Artemis looked around furiously, doing her best to search for her hated opponent; her blood pounded in her ears with fervor. She spun around and around and around, wondering where he could have gone, snarling as she did so. It took a bit for her to notice Giovanni's cocky smile, the laughing jeers of his assembled Rockets, and the pleads from her own team.

"What are you doing?! He's right in front of you!" "Don't let him trick you!" "Why did you suddenly stop, eh? He's just sitting there!"

Artemis turned and examined the spot where her opponent had formerly stood. Focusing, she realized the air seemed…wrong…somehow. Behind the offputting stillness of the empty battlefield, if she looked hard enough, there was the shadow of her adversary, standing there almost indiscernibly, swinging that ominous pendulum, his eyes glowing a vivid, fearsome blue. Giving a roar, streams of lightning crackled between the nodes on her head, and shot a massive blast of electricity at the shadow of the Hypno.

As the blast careened toward it, the shade's eyes glowed even more sinisterly, and the stream of electricity suddenly veered off into veins, dancing around the shadow but never touching it, as cackling, menacing laughter swept from the ceiling and whispered into Artemis' ears, filling her mind with the dark cacophony. Her own electricity, no longer under her control, congealed back together, forming the shape of a giant, sinister beast with lightning as its body; it had hollow, piercing eyes. Artemis gave a fearful gasp and backed away, her eyes wide, as the beast turned its head and roared at her; a roar that at once seemed an explosion and a whisper.

Missy and co. watched this in confusion; as they had seen it, Artemis had dashed wildly at the Hypno, only to stop at the last second and look around in anger and confusion. The whole while, the Hypno had just stood there, unblinking, swinging its pendulum. She then seemed to notice the Hypno again (but looked at it unsurely, somehow) and shot a volt at the pokemon; the Hypno barely warded it off with its psychic powers, and once again stood still, the pendulum swinging. Suddenly, they saw Artemis suddenly turn frightened, and back away desperately, staring in horror at something they could not see. And the Hypno stood and swung.

"What's going on?!" Missy demanded. "What's happened to Artemis?!"

"It's the Hypno," came the soft voice of Fyre; the Ninetales belonged to the treacherous Sabrina who, in a moment of guilt, had lent her pokemon to her friend Erika. "My mistress specializes in Psychic-types and other pokemon, like my own species, with similar powers. Hypno is one of the eeriest pokemon we know of. It fights using its psychic powers, amplified through its pendulum—the same pendulum it uses to hypnotizes and warp the minds of its opponents. Hypno play mind-games with their adversaries, making them hallucinate and see things that aren't there; their opponents, caught between what is real and what is not, destroy themselves in paranoia, fear, and doubt."

"You mean," said the Oddish Nightshade, Artemis' oldest friend and partner, "that he's messing with Artemis' head?"

"Likely, yes," Fyre responded.

"Artemis!" Nightshade cried across the sunken stone battleground. "Don't let him trick you! It's an illusion!"

She wasn't listening or, rather, she couldn't hear. She backed away, watching the phantom beast; she heard nothing but its cruel laughter; its dark radiance had blacked out the rest of the sunken coliseum, until there was nothing but blackness; blackness, the beast, and the glowing eyes of the Hypno shadow behind the monster. Behind the low laughter was a sinister voice whispering in her ear, speaking words of nightmare.

Shrieking, Artemis, shot bolt after bolt at the nightmare monster; she saw them absorbed into the monster, saw it raise its head in a parody of laughter, and it reached a fiendish claw towards her; she fell back on her spine, and scrabbled back desperately but could not get any farther away…the claw got closer, the demon laughed, the eyes glowed, and somewhere behind the pendulum swung…she fainted.

"No!" cried the assembled pokemon; they had simply seen Artemis fearfully backing away, blasting her energy at nothing, fall backwards, scream, and faint. The Hypno stopped its swinging and turned to the rest of them, surveying, with a faint smile.

Giovanni shifted in his throne, and called out, "One down. Send out your next." Behind him the Rockets whooped and jeered as the pokemon bore their limp comrade back between them.

Erika surveyed her pokemon and Dan's remaining five. "We've got to tread carefully…now that we know what we're up against, we cannot simply waltz in there…which of you could stand up to it?"

_Could I?_ Missy wondered, _What would it try to make me see? Artemis was terrified…what would it conjure it up to frighten me?_ An image sprang unbidden to her mind, from a nightmare back on Cinnabar…herself as a beastly hybrid of two species, and her hollow-eyed brother coldly stating, "Not human…"

Missy shivered in spite of herself.

Erika made her decision. "Alright," she said finally, "I'm going to go with a pokemon of my own...one which I know from experience can handle Psychic-types, even despite its type disadvantage. Go, Gloom!" The putrid pokemon took the stage. Giovanni's Hypno turned its head slightly, looking at its new playmate with apparent curiosity. Slowly, barely even noticeably, the pendulum began twisting below its hand, gaining momentum.

"Gloom!" Erika cried. "Spray it!" The Gloom responded to his master's cry by launching a corrosive-looking sickly green liquid. The Hypno put up its free hand and warded off the assault.

"Now! Attack!" The Gloom launched itself forward with surprising speed; caught off guard, Giovanni's pokemon tried to ward off its attacker, but was unable to bring up its psychic shield in time, and the Gloom slammed into it, knocking it into the stone floor; the Hypno skidded across the sunken battlefield, its pendulum knocked away and bouncing away.

"Damn you! Get up, swine!!" Giovanni raged, his cool façade broken. "Don't let that thing beat you!" His Hypno got up slowly, leering murder at the opposing Grass type. It stretched out its hand, and the pendulum quivered and then began slithering across the stone, back towards its master's hand.

"He's using his powers to get back his talisman!" Erika cried. "Put a stop to it, Gloom!" Her pokemon obediently complied, shooting a stream of spores at his opponent. The Hypno took a step back, shielding his eyes, and the Gloom lunged once more. This time, however, the hypnotizing pokemon was ready; it used its powers to freeze the gloom in place and then sent it spinning overhead and slamming into the ground, before reaching towards the pendulum once more; the token followed the beckoning, spinning towards the Hypno's hand.

"Gloom," Erika cried," get up, get up!" Her pokemon did so and made an about-face to see his opponent, only to see the sinister pendulum swinging mere centimeters before its eyes. The Hypno had reclaimed his prize.

"Fight it," Erika called, "fight it, Gloom!" Her pokemon was unable to break eye contact with his adversary, the Hypno's eyes glowing menacingly behind the swinging token. Suddenly, Erika's pokemon sunk down, shivering, and fainted. The Hypno got up and faced its master.

"Decent enough," growled Giovanni, trying to reclaim some of his former poise.

"What are we going to do?" Erika whispered to her pokemon. "We can't win the freedom of Saffron's citizens, and Dan and the others, with that thing messing with your heads!! Isn't there a pokemon here who can beat it?!"

The group stood silently for a moment before Fyre got up, stretched, and prowled across the stadium floor to face the sinister Psychic-type.

"This should do it, eh," rumbled Armor. "Nothing could teach you to beat psychics better than being trained by one!"

Fyre and the Hypno stood leering at one another; it had not yet attempted to enchant the Ninetales yet. The stares went on, unbroken, for spans of seconds that bridged heartbeats. Suddenly, Fyre's nine tails fanned out behind her; her eyes shimmered a white to match the sudden ferocious blue of the Hypno. Fire streamed around her in a storm, expanding out like a red tempest; it stopped halfway between her and her combatant, meeting a seeming wall. As Missy and the others watched, the air around the Hypno suddenly seemed to shimmer, like the air over a hot road on a summer's day, but darker and more sinister, somehow. It expanded and clashed head on with Fyre's blaze, grappling with the fire.

Missy suddenly began to catch odd glimpses and images, there for only a few seconds, in the shimmering air surrounding Giovanni's Hypno; they were ethereal and indiscernible, flashing before her vision. They were gone so fast that Missy never had any time to make out what they were, but each time one appeared it filled her with an inexplicable, fearful dread. The Hypno's eyes were wide, unblinking, and staring evilly; the pendulum swung with a deadly slowness; its movement was perfect and uninterrupted, never too fast or too slow.

"Missy…look at Fyre…!" Nemo breathed. Missy forced her head away from the terrible aura surrounding the Hypno to see that Fyre seemed clad in a dark, nearly black, light; her eyes shimmered, and creatures and beings made of flame raced through her firestorm, meeting the Hypno's sinister images flash for flash.

"What's going on?" Missy asked.

It was Ruby who answered. "Sir Blaine always talked about Ninetales with the highest respect," she said, so entranced by seeing the masterful control of flame exuded by Ninetales that she neglected to sass her rival. "He said they were powerful fire pokemon with dark powers. They can live for millennia, and have the power to put a curse on you if you offend them; this same power gives their fire mysterious, almost otherworldly, qualities. She's meeting the Hypno's visions with curses and powers of her own."

As they watched, bits of the shimmering illusions of the Hypno leaked through into the flame in trickles, and then in streams; they coursed through the fire, grappling their way to their intended prey: Fyre. Likewise, tounges of Fyre's inferno coursed through the formerly impenetrable wall of illusions shielding the Psychic-type. Both shields branched out, trying to penetrate one antoher. As the group watched, the Hypno's wall and tendrils seemed to halt for a brief moment; that was all Fyre needed. The flames rushed in, shattering the illusions held by the Psychic-type, and swept over the Hypno, who fell back; for a few seconds the flames covered the battlefield, and then they faded away; left in their smoking wake was Fyre, nearly collapsed, panting difficultly, and across from her was the Hypno, finally unconscious.

The cheers of Saffron's citizens rebounded off the stone walls of the sunken stadium, drowning out the boos of the Rocket grunts and the curses of their leader as he recalled his pokemon.

Fyre stood out on the battlefield; that had been one of Giovanni's rules, that pokemon could not be recalled once sent out to battle. Missy thought it very unfair, but then again it was the only way Giovanni had allowed them to use ten pokemon against him rather than six.

She worriedly looked across the arena to the cages holding Giovanni's prisoners; Suzanne, Dan, and Rico. _We can't trust him,_ she decided. _Even if we somehow win, he still has those three under his control. We need some way to get them free._

Giovanni dug out a poke ball from his coat pocket. "Try this, then," he taunted before flinging it out. There was a flash, and Missy gasped; what looked like a giant snake made of stone lurched before her.

"An Onix," Ruby gasped. "Fyre'll have a difficult time beating this one! She's worn out from the Hypno."

"I hope that that was his strongest pokemon," Armor said worriedly. "If they all take that much to go down, we'll be in for some real trouble, eh?"

"Don't say that!" Missy said forcefully. "We can win!" _…can't we?_

Fyre got to her feet and leered at the Rock-type opposing her. The Onix gave a huge bellow, and thrashed its body around. The stadium shook, and chunks of stone from the ceiling broke off and fell downwards, forcing the Ninetales to jump from side to side to avoid being crushed.

Giovanni smirked. "Onix! Sweep!" The rock snake complied, twisting its body and sending its tail spinning towards its opponent. Fyre leaped up, barely avoiding being struck by the appendage, and shot a blast of flame at her opponent. The fireball struck the Onix's hide and dissipated without the pokemon taking any apparent damage.

"Regular fire won't phase that thing," Ruby said worriedly "And she's too worn from the Hypno to put any of her powers into it."

Fyre landed, and collapsed, panting again. She looked ready to keel over from sheer exhaustion. The Onix was a ways away, and it looked at its opponent haughtily, sizing her up. Suddenly, it slammed its tail onto the floor. The impact caused a fracture in the stone floor, which raced towards Fyre. The Ninetales barely had time to react before it slammed into her, sending her flying backwards and onto the floor, unconscious.

The Onix's bellow echoed throughout the stadium, overpowering the ears of everyone present. Missy and the other pokemon shepherded the Ninetales back just as they had the other fainted pokemon.

"It's alright," Erika coached the pokemon. "A Rock/Ground hybrid is no trouble to us. I'm the Gym Leader specializing in Grass-types, after all and…hey, wait!!! Come back!!" Nemo, the shy little Seadra, had suddenly sprung forth onto the battlefield.

"Nemo, what are you doing?!" Missy cried out. "You'll be crushed!!" The other pokemon began voicing similar pleas.

"Who…who beat Tyrant?" He shot back. That shut them up. "I know he's big…and I'm scared. But…this lout is…is no worse than that Gyarados! Except with two type disadvantages!" Nemo continued, growing more bold, despite his shivering. "I won't let my fear stop me! I know I can take him!"

The Onix gave a roar and lunged for the small target in front of him. Erika covered her eyes, but Nemo wasn't going to let himself be taken that easily; using one of his favorite tricks, the Seadra shot water at the ground, using the backlash to propel himself skyward. The Onix, his prey suddenly vanished, looked about, sweeping the stadium with his gaze.

"Above you, you damned lout! He's up high!" Giovanni cried. The Onix looked up in astonishment to see the Seadra angling himself downwards, intending to slam his spike-studded body into his opponent. The Onix twisted himself, forcing Nemo to strike at his midsection—the part of his body with the thickest rock armor. Nemo struck true, but the rock snake's plating was too thick to penetrating; he bounced off and fell to the earth.

The Onix made to lunge, but then suddenly sent his tail shooting forth instead; it struck Nemo and knocked him backwards, but as he fell Nemo shot a burst of ink from his mouth straight into his enemy's eyes. Blinded, the Onix gave a pained roar and thrashed about on the battlefield floor. Nemo forced himself up and shot a jet of water to the area below his opponent; the Onix slipped up on the newly slick battlefield, crashing to the earth, and Nemo lunged once more towards his opponent, this time aiming his body at the vulnerable face. The Seadra struck true, the spikes from his body skewering his opponent's face. The Onix gave one last thrash, and fainted.

Giovanni recalled his second downed fighter with a growl. "Don't think you've come close to winning," he warned. "I'll see you all beaten yet, and you will no longer defile this primordial city; every last one of you I will strike down! Go, Tauros!"

Giovanni sent out his pokemon, a massive muscular bull with three whipping tails. "Charge!"  
His Tauros shook its head, let loose a mighty bellow, and raced towards its quarry; Nemo gulped, and crouched down at the last minute; the mighty bull pokemon raced over him, Nemo's crouching body barely avoided contact. When Giovanni's Tauros raced over him, Nemo forced himself upwards, his spines piercing the Normal-type's soft underbelly. The Tauros gave a yelp and skidded across the floor, then turned and leered murder at his opponent.

He raced forward again, but upon nearing Nemo, leapt up high rather than go for a full on charge; surprised, Nemo could do nothing but watch as his tormentor leapt over him, landing right behind him, before swinging free with his back legs, catching the Seadra on the hooves and sending him flying.

Nemo was thrown back, bouncing across the floor painfully.

"Hit it again!" raged Giovanni. The Tauros complied, lowering his horns for a true charge this time. Nemo, sprawled on the ground, didn't have time to defend himself this time; the bull's horns swept under him and knocked him skyward, KO'ing him instantly. As Nemo's limp form fell to the earth, however, the Tauros, laughing, raised his horns skyward and struck him again, despite the fact that his opponent was already defeated. As Nemo hit the ground, the Tauros was still laughing, and the Rockets were giving hoots that boiled the blood as assuredly as Giovanni's cold smile.

"_**HEY!!!**_" Armor screamed at the Tauros. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, EH?! THAT'S LOW!!"

The Tauros tossed his head and chuckled. "Oh, come now," he scoffed in a deep voice. "Surely you don't object to a little bit of fun? The wimp had it coming, spiking me from below like that. What a coward."

A low, piercing voice came from the assembly of pokemon. Missy turned with shock to see it coming from Nightshade; the Oddish was shaking, and there was a scary look on his face. The normally cynical, sullen Oddish rarely showed true anger that she had seen, but this was genuine fury. It was disconcerting.

"You call him a coward for daring to fight for his freedom…as you wantonly strike his prone body?" Nightshade's voice was unwavering, and made it that more eerily frightening. "You…have no sense…of goodness, don't you?"

The Tauros gave a haughty snicker in response.

"I will teach you," Nightshade said, as he took the battleground. It almost looked ridiculous, the tiny blue bulb with leaves growing from him staring down that massive bull.

The Tauros began dashing in a circle around the perimeter of the arena, eyeing his new game with no small amount of cruel amusement. Nightshade slowly twisted, trying his best to keep his eyes on his adversary. The great bull gave a fierce snort and made a dash for the Grass pokemon. Nightshade braced himself as spores and pollen pooled in his leaves, ready for his assault. As the bull got near, Nightshade loosed his burden, but the Tauros suddenly turned sideways on its hooves and drifted past Nightshade, skidding past the Oddish and avoiding the toxic payload. Before Nightshade had a chance to respond, the horns swept across the ground; he was luckily not caught by the goring end, but the blunt trunk still slammed into him with great force and knocked him across the battlefield.

The Tauros roared and charged again; Nightshade, struggling to get up, let out a cry; thorny roots sprung from the earth to grapple with the Tauros. Though they gauged his side and slowed him down, the plants could not stop Giovanni's pokemon; the bull broke through and brought his hooves crashing down upon Nightshade. Just as he began roaring in triumph, spores loosed from the plant pokemon found their way into his eyes and lungs; hacking and coughing, the Tauros felt his rival still squirming beneath him. Though blinded, he felt where the hated Oddish was; leaning his head down, the Tauros gripped one of Nightshade's leaves in a powerful bite, and lifted him up, ignoring the Grass-type's squeals of pain. The Normal-type shook his head from side to side angrily, swinging Nightshade around painfully, before letting him go in an arc that carried the smaller pokemon high into the air before he came plummeting down onto the arena floor, becoming knocked out as he did so.

Giovanni smiled. The Tauros, though in some pain, gave a triumphant roar. "Who's next?" he demanded cockily. "Or would you prefer to surrender—it's hopeless!"

Missy found herself agreeing with him in the back of her mind. _We're down by half, and Giovanni hasn't even brought out his latter three yet. How can we possibly triumph?_ She caught sight of the cage opposite her, surrounded by jeering Rockets, with Dan still imprisoned inside.

_No,_ she told herself forcefully. _We must win. There is no other option._


	14. Chapter 14

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 06/9/2009 on deviantART. Don't feel afraid to leave reviews – I love hearing opinions on my stories!

***

Dan's head hurt. It hurt a lot. He opened his eyes, but shut them again immediately; the whole world looked watery and swimmy, like he was submerged in a pool. Closing his eyes didn't help the pain, though; it simply made him more aware of every painful pulse that throbbed through the tender lump on the side of his skull. _What happened, again…?_

He remembered speaking to Rico, finding out that Giovanni's lieutenant was actually on their side…oh, how his head ached…he borrowed Rico's team and sent his own to help secure the prisoners' locations while he and Suzanne went on to confront Sabrina…and then…

Dan and Suzanne had followed Rico's instructions to the ultramodern apartment complex that housed Sabrina and other Saffron bigwigs. The building was like a work of art, a titanic gold spiral grappling to the heavens and glittering in the sun.

Walking inside, the duo climbed the stairway up to the floor that housed the treacherous Gym Leader, since the elevators were not working. Before they could make it to the top, however, the stairs had burst from beneath their feet, and a massive rocky snake—an Onix—erupted from beneath them, its roar overpowering their senses as they fell down the wrecked stairwell. Landing painfully on the bottom of the passage, Dan's vision began fading away as the Onix spiraled down to him and Suzanne, and a cruel figure dressed in a suit the color of blood strode up to him. Even as Dan's vision shrunk away and he slipped into unconsciousness, he recognized that man…_Giovanni…_

Suddenly, he was alert, and wide awake. _Giovanni! He got the jump on us! I have to warn the others!_ But as he leapt up, the top of his head stuck painfully against a procession of cruel metal bars, sending pain shooting through his skull. Dan gave an involuntary cry and sunk down to the bottom of his cage—for that's what it was—clasping his head as tears formed in his eyes. Nearby, a man's voice began cheering, its roughness nearly butchering the words that it formed.

"Heheh, looky tha', th'poor fellow's gone n'd woke hisself up! Looky him cry lika littul babe! Heheh!" A rough-looking man in a Team Rocket uniform with the smell of stale beer on his breath was pointing a fat finger at Dan and chortling. Nearby, Dan saw to his shock two other similar cages, holding Officer Suzanne and Rico. _No! Then, Erika and my pokemon must be…_ He looked in vain for the cages holding his other friends before his surroundings caught his eye.

He appeared to be in a dilapidated but still magnificent arena, ancient and carved out of stone, which was sunk below the ground. Grand statues of humans and pokemon, both equally fierce, dominated the locale. On the floor some manner of action was taking place. As far as he was, with vision still hazy from the lump on his head and his eyes not yet adjusted to the plain, flickering light that barely illuminated the sunken coliseum. Eventually, though, he was able to make out what was happening on the bottom.

It astonished him. Giovanni was seated in an ancient chair that almost looked a throne, and was commanding a Tauros in a battle. The bull's opponent was…Armor, Dan's Muk?! Even more curious was the woman commanding Dan's pokemon; Erika!

The rough-looking grunt taunted Dan through his bars. "So, ya noticed, hav'yer? Yer slaves'n yer littul girlfren' are fiyting for yer free-dum; yer's an' all them others! Heheh! But looky there; th'boss's slaves'r mowing over yer teams lika rockslide mows over-a squabblin' babe! Ya got n'chance n'hell, man! Heheh!"

Dan turned back, squashed, but with some hope. _Please,_ he pleaded desperately to no one in particular, _Please let them win. Don't let that evil man get what he wants; we must win! We must!_

---

Armor was having a difficult time. The cocky Tauros was a powerful opponent, despite being heavily wounded by both Nemo and Nightshade; it was the bull's disrespectful treatment of his two friends that had angered the Muk enough that he rushed to the middle of the arena nearly the moment the Oddish had fainted, ready to avenge his friends. Armor was certain that if he could manage to land one single blow to his opponent—just one!—that the bull would faint. However, that was proving to be a challenge; the Tauros, while wounded, was still much faster than Armor could ever hope, and was a crafty strategist besides; and all this without taking into account that Giovanni was guiding his pokemon with a minimalistic but highly effective set of orders, while Erika was nearly clueless to how Dan's pokemon were capable of battling.

The Tauros dashed up for another hit-and-run attack to Armor's body; though most physical attacks were useless against the Muk, his body being liquefied poison, the hard cartilage that made up the bull's horns and hooves allowed him to strike safely without fear of toxic retaliation.

Reeling from a horn blow, Armor shrank back, feeling no small amount of pain as the Tauros galloped back to a safe distance to warily eye the Muk once more. That was how the battle had gone, mostly; the Tauros had stayed safely out of reach, lunging forwards for hit-and-run tactics every now and then, while Armor frustratingly tried to figure out how to hurt him. The Normal-type was too agile to chase down, and his attacks were too fast to get in a counter-strike; projectile attacks were no good either, as he was at a good enough distance to have plenty of time to dodge once it became apparent that Armor meant to strike.

_How do I hurt him, eh?_ Armor racked his brains as the Tauros stalked him warily. _Attacks don't work. Counter-attacks don't work. Projectile attacks don't work. They're all useless! What is there left?_ Armor was an eternal optimist; he wasn't close to giving up. He **knew** that there had to be some way to win; he simply couldn't figure out what that was!

_Think, eh, think._ Armor forced himself to focus. _Think back to Mister Dan's training. If regular strategies don't work, then you…you, eh…mix and match! That's it!_ Sure, regular attacking, counter-attacking, and projectile attacks weren't working…but what about all three?

At that moment the Tauros raced forwards once more. Knowing that this was the opportunity he needed, Armor lunged forwards to seemingly counter the bull's blow. Snickering, the Tauros briefly touched his hooves to the gound and leapt over Armor as he had done so many times before. This time, however, Dan's pokemon was ready; as the bull passed over him, Armor shot a stream of sludge out of the back of his body to the place where the Tauros would be landing. Caught off guard and not expecting two simultaneous attacks, the Normal-type was struck by the slime and collapsed, his wound caked in the foul liquid. Not leaving anything to chance, Armor followed through with a true tackle this time; too wounded to try dodging now, the Tauros was struck head on, collapsing to the ground in a heap to the sound of cheers from Saffron's assembled citizens.

They didn't stay happy for long, though; Giovanni recalled his Tauros with a furiously edged look to his face. "Think you're clever, don't you," he growled. "Think you're smart for subverting my plan without trying, for invading this sacred city, for managing to get lucky and forcing me to dig into the second half of my team. Well, lucky simply doesn't cut it against me, no sir! I found out your weakness, you little pile of walking shit; you can't handle anything fast! And if you think you can use the same tactics over again…_**think twice!!**_" Giovanni roared as he sent out his fourth assailant, a hairy, ugly-looking ape with a pig's nose and frightfully long appendages: a Primeape.

"Don't let up!" Giovanni roared. "You're faster than him, and there's nothing he can do about it! Be quick, strike strong, and watch out—he can attack at two places simultaneously!" The Primeape gave a brief nod and then suddenly lunged forwards, delivering a quick and painful-looking punch to Armor's face; the Muk shrunk back, groaning as Giovanni's fighter leapt up in the air to deliver a devastating kick to the same area.

"Hold on one second," Ruby said, "that isn't right! Armor's made of poison; shouldn't that big monkey be harmed just as badly from those punches and kicks?"

"I don't know;" Missy responded warily. "My first battle ever was against Armor, remember, and I wasn't poisoned to the touch. I think there are certain parts of his body—his face in particular—that are vulnerable to attack without the opponent fearing repercussions."

"No!" Ruby bleated, showing rare genuine concern for her teammate. "His big advantage is gone!"

Missy nodded in silent agreement.

Armor's face had been bludgeoned so many times he felt dizzy; and, each time he tried to retaliate, the Primeape simply dodged and reappeared with an even more punishing blow. _Think…strategically, eh,_ he told himself woozily. _It's the…only way…_

As the Primeape reared his hand to deliver a particularly devastating punch, the Muk had a moment of clarity. As its fist swung down in punishment, Armor softened his body; when the hit connected, he simply allowed himself to absorb the blow; the ape's hand was swallowed by Armor's toxic body. Shocked and suddenly fearful, Giovanni's Primeape tried desperately to free his hand, but to no avail; Armor wasn't letting go. His face now contorting in pain as toxins leeched into his skin and up his arm, the Primeape desperately reared his other hand and struck blow after lancing blow to his opponent. Eventually, Armor's light haziness turned to an almost inebriate daze, and he finally fell unconscious. The Primeape desperately freed his arm with a pained grimace; it was raw and blistering, and looked as though it had been dipped in a vat of acid.

"He's lost the use of that arm," Missy whispered to Ruby, who nodded in agreement; the two seemed to have displaced their rivalry in light of the current dilemma. "That'll be a big disadvantage."

"I wonder who's next," Ruby returned. "Will she send one of us out…or does Erika plan on using one of her own fighters now?"

Their question was almost immediately answered as Erika flung out a poke ball. "Go, Parasect!" Erika cried as her battler materialized on the floor and raised its pincers in an act of belligerence.

"You say you figured out Armor's weakness by watching him battle," Erika said with a small hint of cockiness; she was much more sure of herself now that Giovanni was down to his second half of fighters. "Well, I figured out _your_ pokemon's weakness—poison! You know what to do, Parasect!"

The insect raised its pincers in compliance, and a sickly-sweet, brilliant blanket of poison spores began cascading out from the Bug/Grass hybrid, covering and suffocating the air near it.

"Hah!" Erika taunted, apparently not phased by the murderous look on the face of Team Rocket's boss. "Your Primeape excels at speed and power, but there's the weakness; he can only use physical attacks! In order to come at my Parasect, he must first pass through the cloud of poison surrounding my pokemon; a prospect I think your battler does not relish, given the look of the wound on his arm!" Indeed, the Primeape had shrunk back, his eyes looking fearful and unsure as he cradled the poisoned arm against his white fur. "That means," she finished with smugness, "that all we have to do is play the waiting game!"

Giovanni snarled. "**I** decide how my pokemon battles, not it, and CERTAINLY not you, you silly little pretender! How _**dare**_ you lecture me on battles?! Primeape, attack that bug now!!"

The Fighting-type hesitated before leaping into action, but only for a handful of seconds; he apparently feared his master more than the poison cloud. Jumping high into the air above the battlefield, the Primeape angled himself downwards for a kick; however, the moment he passed through the poison cloud, he began shrieking, and he clawed at his eyes with his good arm. Erika's Parasect caught the ape by the ankle with his pincer and slammed him into the floor; before the Fighting-type had a chance to react, he sent his other pincer careening across his attacker's torso, leaving a wide and painful-looking cut that oozed blood. Missy flinched despite knowing that she likely shouldn't feel such empathy towards and enemy.

Erika's Parasect, however, was not done; the hybrid pokemon hoisted the barely-conscious Primeape into the air by his ankle once more and slammed him into the arena floor again; this was as much punishment as Giovanni's pokemon could take. It fainted.

Giovanni recalled his downed fighter in a stony silence; his anger was so nearly tangible that his goons were silenced out of their usual jeers and boos by it. Through the silence, Missy looked across the arena once more and saw to her astonishment Dan staring out his cage miserably. _How long has he been awake?_ Missy wondered. Dan blinked dejectedly; a rough and drunken-looking Rocket grunt was leaning near his cage, whispering things to Dan that she couldn't hear; however, given the man's appearance and the look on Dan's face, she fathomed a reasonable guess. _Don't give up Dan,_ she silently encouraged him. _We haven't, not yet._

Giovanni sent out his penultimate pokemon. It was a Slowbro.

Erika eyed it warily. "Why would he?" She said quietly; whether querying herself or addressing the pokemon, Missy couldn't tell. "It has a double weakness to mine; Water falls to Grass, and Psychic to Bug…He's planning something."

"Slowbro," Giovanni mandated, "that thing is impenetrable so long as it has that damned cloud to hide out in…drag it out, won't you?" The Slowbro was suddenly surrounded by a purplish-pink aura as the Parasect suddenly began sliding across the floor towards Giovanni's pokemon, and out of the poison cloud; from the shocked look on Erika's face and the desperate grappling motion of the Bug-type's slender legs, he was apparently moving against his will.

Missy groaned. _Oh great,_ she thought sullenly, _another pokemon with weird powers._ The Hypno had been bad enough.

Erika suddenly got a look of extreme firmness on her face. "Parasect, lunge!" she commanded; her battler, no longer fighting the psychic pull, instead used it to further its own momentum, bringing its claw up to deliver a slash to its prone opponent. The Slowbro reacted remarkably fast for its species; the crustacean-covered tail of the creature suddenly spun around the side of its master, the Bug-type's pincer bouncing harmlessly off the shell.

Giovanni smirked. "Slowbro is a pokemon with more than one trick up its sleeve," he gloated. Erika was less than appreciative.

"Parasect, poison!" she commanded. As the Bug-type responded, pooling spores in the air about it, the Slowbro responded by blasting a shower of water towards its opponent; though the mushroom on the Parasect's back absorbed the spray with no apparent consequences, the dampened cloud of spores surrounding Erika's pokemon sunk to the floor. Erika gasped, and Giovanni laughed.

"Wet pollen sticks together and is a threat to no one," he taunted. "Just like your Parasect is no threat to my pokemon." Seemingly on cue; the aura surrounded the Slowbro once again; Erika's Parasect froze in place. The Slowbro drew pack its fist with a painful deliberateness; it almost seemed to mock its opponent. The punch, coming from such a slow creature, would have easily been dodged by most if not all pokemon under normal circumstances; bound as it was, the Parasect could only watch helplessly as the Slowbro swung its fist, connecting with his opponent's tender underbelly, releasing the psychic bonds at the same time that the fist connected. Erika's pokemon was sent flying. As it struggled on the floor—the Parasect was remarkably frail—Giovanni ordered one final attack from his pokemon. "Chill it," he said.

Erika gasped; Grass-types were weak to Ice attacks. The frozen shards that flew towards her pokemon stuck true, skewering the great mushroom on its back. Erika's Parasect gave a momentary, pained squeal, and fainted. Missy couldn't help but shudder; after a run-in with Rico's Shellder, she was none-too-fond of cold temperatures.

She recalled it with a veiled look on her face, but when she glanced up she was all determination once again. "I still lead three to two," she said simply. Giovanni's smile faltered a bit. "And what better way to fight a Psychic than with a Psychic; go, Exeggcute!" Erika's new pokemon appeared to be a pile of light pink eggs with faces.

Giovanni gave a snort. "Am I supposed to be frightened by this? Holiday candy looks more threatening." The grunts behind him gave a handful of agreeing chuckles.

Erika's determined look remained. "You're an uneducated bumpkin if you actually meant that," she indicted. "Like your Slowbro, my Exeggcute is much more than it appears."

Suddenly, the eggs began levitating, their eyes becoming strange myriads of odd color. The Slowbro gave a start and quickly reassumed the pinkish aura; both pokemon made unblinking eye contact with one another for nearly a full minute before the Slowbro collapsed, the aura fading; likewise the Exeggcute returned to the floor, their eyes normal again.

"A stalemate," Giovanni grunted. "They cancel one another out. We'll have to rely on their other abilities."

"What other abilities?" Erika pondered with an irking faked innocence. Giovanni ground his teeth.

"This! Use your ice attack!"

The Slowbro shot the same burst of shards at the eggs as it had at Erika's Parasect; however, they scattered, all six eggs bouncing away in different direction. The Slowbro tried—and failed—to follow all the paths at once, its head swerving drunkenly.

"Egg Bomb!" Erika ordered. The separate eggs of her pokemon suddenly converged on their opponent, bludgeoning him powerfully; as they regrouped safely, the Slowbro dropped to its knees, heaving.

"Hit it again!" Erika commanded; the Exeggcute once again split for a multi-pronged assault on its opponent.

"I warned you not to try the same trick twice," Giovanni accused angrily. "Slowbro, defend!"

Though the majority of the eggs struck true, the Slowbro did manage to maneuver one intro striking the shell on its tail rather than its body; the egg fell to the floor, stunned from the impact. The Slowbro brought his foot down on the egg, slamming it into the ground; the faces of every part of the Exeggcute contorted in pain.

"I know more about Exeggcute than you believe," Giovanni continued. "Such as the fact that they each communally feel one another's pain! Ice attack on the weakened one!"

The Slowbro shot ice at the Grass-type trapped beneath its foot and this time, the attack struck home. The egg head gasped and fainted, and so did its brethren. Erika looked shaken.

_We're tied again,_ Missy thought before she realized the inevitable. _It's down to Ruby and I. One of us has to go against this monster…and whatever else he sends out after it._ The question was…

_Which one?_


	15. Chapter 15

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 07/5/2009 on deviantART. I was actually very pleased with how this chapter turned out.

***

"I'm waiting," Giovanni taunted. He and Erika were tied two for two, but he seemed assured that he would come out on top. Missy had a hard time disagreeing with him.

She braced herself for battle. It was only her and Ruby left, and as Ruby had a type disadvantage to Giovanni's Slowbro, Erika's next choice for battle seemed clear.

She stood…and waited for the command. It never came. Erika bent down to speak to her last fighters. "Listen to me," she said in a low voice. "I'm not your trainer. I don't claim to be. The pokemon I normally battle with have fallen, and…I'm not going to command you. You know your own strengths and limits better than I ever could. I leave our victory…the victory of Saffron, of Dan, of everyone, in your capable hands. Please win." She straightened up nobly, her face set.

The two stood there for a moment in silence as Erika's words sunk in, before Ruby said, "Alright, then," and turned to stalk out onto the arena.

"Wait!" Missy's words stopped the Ponyta. "What are you doing?! He has a type advantage! He'll crush you! Don't—"

"Missy," Ruby snapped, interrupting her teammate, "Just shut up and let me go out there. I'm stronger than you no matter what type we're facing, and you know it."

The two female pokemon locked eyes for a moment before Ruby's gaze softened slightly. "Please let me go," the Ponyta said. "I've seen enough teammates fall already."

Missy was struck silent as the Fire-type took the stage against Giovanni's juggernaut. She realized that moment was the first time Ruby had called her by her true name, and not "Storm" or "little girl".

"That wasn't smart," rumbled the Slowbro, speaking for the first time. "I was crushing Fire-types when I was only days old."

Ruby ground her teeth in response; her eyes flared with genuine fury one thousand times more fierce than the petty insolence she so often paraded. "My former master," she growled, "is the most talented wielder of the Fire-type that the world has seen in nearly three-and-a-half centuries. He is an intelligent, noble, decent man who receives no end of challengers seeking to best him for glory. Trivial little drones flock in _droves_ to challenge him. How many do you think decided to capitulate on the apparent weaknesses of his preferred type? Take a guess. The first lesson I learned under his tutelage," Ruby continued, prowling around her opponent in a circular motion, "was how to attack Water-types. After teaching us the theory and various techniques, he hired out talented Water users to test us. Before he would use us in Gym matches, we had to prove we could beat Water-types in combat.

"It was hard," she said; the Slowbro was looking wary now, though trying to hide it. "I tried and I tried and I tried, but my best was never good enough to overcome them. I wanted to win. I wanted to prove my strength. So I trained myself, and exposed myself, and tortured myself until I became perfect. I decimated Water-type after Water-type with ease. Do you know which species of Water pokemon my first victory happened to be over?"

The Slowbro gave a seemingly non-committal shrug that did nothing to mask his obvious nervousness.

"A SLOWBRO!!"

The eyes of Giovanni's pokemon widened in shock, and that was all that Ruby needed. She dashed straight towards him in a furious charge. Hurriedly the Slowbro brought his mollusk-covered tail around to his front to defend himself, much as he had against Erika's pokemon; he moved startlingly fast for one of his species. However, Ruby wasn't about to let that trick work on her; she leapt over her astonished opponent and delivered a punishing kick with her rear hooves onto her opponent's now-unprotected back. As the Slowbro dropped to his knees with a grunt of pain, Ruby followed through with a ramming headbutt to his side. The Slowbro tried to retaliate with a powerful punch, but Ruby leapt back, dodging the slowly executed attack with ease.

Now that he had her at a distance, the Slowbro shot a powerful jet of water at Ruby; however, before it reached her, a powerful bracket of flames surrounded her, burning so fiercely that the Ponyta was not even discernable within them. Missy felt slight heat even from where she was observing, far away from the battlefield.

When the Slowbro's stream neared the scorching heat, it fizzled and evaporated before it could even make contact. He took a slight step back as the fire disappeared and Ruby, perfectly intact, shot a gaze of pure death at him. "Why do you Water-types always look so shocked when that never works? Find a new bag of tricks; your little bubbles and bursts of water aren't going to last you forever."

"You dolt!" Giovanni's voice rang clear through the near-silent arena; every soul was hushedly watching the battle between the two penultimate pokemon, cheers and boos forgotten in the intensity of the fight. "You damned moron! Use your powers!" The Slowbro blinked as if snapping out of something, and the familiar purplish aura surrounded him once again. Suddenly Ruby began sliding backwards across the arena floor at a frightening speed, heading straight for the stone walls; it was clear Giovanni's fighter was planning on slamming her into the side.

"No!" Missy cried out, fearful for her comrade; however, Ruby wasn't giving up that easily. She opened her mouth, still having control of her head, and shot a tongue of fire at her rival. The Slowbro stopped it in midair with his powers easily.

_What was the point of that?_ Missy wondered before she noticed that Ruby was still breathing fire; and, the rate at which she was being thrown backwards had slowed considerably. Missy looked to the Slowbro and noticed little beads of sweat coloring his face. That's when she realized.

_He's having trouble dividing his attentions!_ Missy thought. _He's preventing Ruby from burning him, but at the same time, focusing his attention on the fire lessens the speed of her impact to the point that when she makes contact with the wall it won't be harmful to her! If he focuses more power on increasing her velocity, her attack will follow through and strike him—and even with the type resilience that he has, it'll still hurt coming from a pokemon as strong as Ruby. But, if he continues to hold back the flames as he is now, he'll tire, and when his power slips, Ruby will escape to wreak havoc! He's already been weakened by Erika's Exeggcute; if Ruby gets in a decent attack, he'll be down for the count, and she can face Giovanni's final pokemon having attained no damage!_

The stalemate continued, but not for very long; the aura faded as the Slowbro's grip on its powers slipped due to exertion; Ruby's fire struck him head on, and as he struggled from the heat, she engulfed herself in flame once more and rushed in for a charge, intending to take him out with one last blow.

"Defend yourself! Do anything! _**Anything!!**_" Giovanni shrieked; the Slowbro gathered the aura again, which seemed to coalesce into dozens of small bullets of pure psychic energy. The spread rushed towards Ruby, penetrating her flame shield and striking her deep; however, Dan's most powerful fighter didn't slow as she slammed into her opponent, knocking him senseless.

As Giovanni withdrew his Slowbro, the hushed silence of the sunken arena became almost tangible. When he spoke, it was in a voice that, despite not being screamed or shouted out, carried around the locale and was picked up by every attentive ear present.

"Good show, little one," he said, addressing Ruby herself. "Taking down a pokemon that powerful, with a type advantage, without any credible input from the human giving you orders…bravo. You are a battling prodigy. You know, I have long been interested in adding you to my collection; once Masque gets his hands on you and wipes you clean of that aggravating steak of spunk, you'll make quite an admirable servant to enforce my will."

Ruby's mane flared, as did her temper, and she reared on her hind legs in defiance.

"Feisty," Giovanni said. "Strong-willed. That kind is hard to subdue, but once you do, they are the most efficient servants of all.

"…of course, I don't want you to be getting a swelled head. I obviously have a pokemon that can beat even your prowess. Come forward, my trump card!"

A flash of green and a near-indiscernible buzzing was the only warning to the arrival of a familiar face; the Scyther that had guarded Missy and the other prisoners back in Team Rocket's base. The lethal mantis ran his blades along one another like a pair of carving knives, the grinding, deadly sounds sending chills down even Ruby's spine.

Giovanni flashed a smile. "This pokemon," he said, "is the single most powerful combatant in the entire Rocket organization. It pains me to say this, but he is not actually mine; though, his owner was generous enough to loan him to me for this little expedition."

That news shocked Missy. _Giovanni isn't the Scyther's trainer?! Then…who is?_

"Now, my trusted battler," Giovanni was informing the Bug-type, "I know you love blood…but try to keep this one alive and in reasonably good condition. I want her for my collection. Play softly." The Scyther made a grunting noise that seemed almost to be of disappointment.

Giovanni smiled. "Go," he said.

Before the crime boss' mouth was even closed, the Scyther was off in a blur of deadliness, streaking straight towards Ruby, blades poised; Ruby barely dodged his lethal points. She tried to counterattack with a shot of flame, but her adversary easily dodged by flying upwards to dodge.

"I heard your amusing little tirade regarding Water-types," he taunted. "Do you honestly think a battler of my caliber hasn't had the same experience with Fire pokemon?"

Missy's heart skipped a beat, but Ruby seemed unfazed. The Bug-type gave a derisive snort at the Ponyta's lack of a response and dived once more. At the last minute, Ruby wreathed herself in flame once more; the Scyther quickly retreated, hissing; he gave off a slightly sooty smell. Though he had been in the blaze for nearly no time at all, the damage he had taken was obviously less than negligible, due to the Bug-type's weakness to fire.

"What's the matter," Ruby snickered, "limited to close-range attacks? Poor little thing."

The Scyther snarled and spiraled upwards, his wings buzzing with that soft, barely audible hum. Soon he had disappeared in the shadows in the top of the room.

"What's the matter," he shot back, his voice echoing around the stone and preventing the others from discerning his location, "limited to the ground? Poor little prey!"

Ruby trotted in a circle warily, her head swiveling from side to side to try and glimpse her opponent. Missy saw a brief, nearly unnoticeable flash of green in the shadows to the left, the exact opposite of where Ruby was focusing her attention.

"Look out," Missy screamed as he burst from the shadows, his blade poised dangerously, "behind you!"

Ruby made and about-face with a squeal and leapt, barely dodging his blow once more, but as he passed near her, the Bug-type's foot swung out and caught on Ruby's thin leg, twisting her in midair and causing her to land painfully on her side. Before she could move even an inch, the Scyther's next attack sent the blade slicing across her back, shearing off a strip of flesh; the swathing wound oozed blood at an alarming rate. Missy felt sick to her stomach; Ruby made a sound that was half shriek, half moan.

"Hey," Giovanni called angrily, "I said keep her alive! Go for non-lethal blows, you idiotic excuse for a living being!"

"It's difficult to fight non-lethally, you ass," the Scyther shot back, though Team Rocket's boss couldn't even understand him. "We Scyther aren't made for it."

Ruby was shakily getting to her hooves and standing up, though the process was alarmingly slow, and her coat was stained with red; she made only a few grunts of pain, but tears streamed from her eyes freely. The Scyther watched with apparent boredom, picking his teeth with one of his blades; the same one he had just wounded Ruby with, in fact. Missy had the sinking suspicion that he was licking Ruby's blood.

"You know, I would tell you to not bother, that by overexerting yourself with a wound like that you could very likely keel over from exhaustion, " he said with ferocity, "except that I don't care and I'd love to see you suffer. I _hate_ your type, little Ponyta, do you know that? All your talk about training and practice and striving to be the best day after day after day…hah! All that training was for one reason only: to hide your shameful weakness. You started off **weak**, you little meal! It took quite a bit of effort to reach where you are now. Whereas I—I was born strong. Before my first birthday I had an impressive number of victories chalked up against powerful wild pokemon. Powerful pokemon; pokemon that _hunted_ my species! I showed them that I am no prey. Before my first year passed I had _killed_, weakling! Killed!! Human and pokemon alike! _Legions_ of pokemon have fled from my blade. And what do you have to your name, weak one? A few victories in one-on-one battles in the safe haven humanity provides for you with their little rules? With their honor and ethics and all their safety? And even those slight triumphs were only earned after effort on your part. Do not hide what you are. The weak should not masquerade as the strong!!"

He roared and swung his blade down, aiming at the Ponyta's head; however, Ruby caught the edge in her teeth, clamping down firmly. Suddenly, the fire shield was there again; the Scyther struggled to escape, shrieking, lancing her side with blow after blow. Though none of the wounds were as lethal as the one on her back—he was obviously trying to adhere to Giovanni's command—they still looked serious. Finally he edged free and darted back out of the blaze, burns covering him, and looking the worse for wear. However, the fact that he still hadn't fainted after such punishment was a testament to his durability.

Ruby was miraculously still standing, but from the swaying motion of her body and the glaze layering her eyes she wasn't going to last long; the Ponyta was likely to keel over in moments if left alone.

The Bug-type never gave her the chance. Bellowing, he darted forwards and delivered a punishing kick to her face. Ruby fell stiffly to the ground.

As Erika gathered Ruby with tears peppering her face, Missy realized that she was the last fighter left. The information seemed to reach her through a haze. Stunned, she slowly stepped forwards to face the last, and ultimate, obstacle Giovanni had put in their way. As she passed Ruby, Missy noticed the Ponyta's form breathing wearily; she was badly beaten and unconscious, but she would live to wake. Whether she woke to find Dan's smiling face or Giovanni's triumphant smirk…Missy's haze vanished. She banished her fear. It was time.

As she took her fighting stance opposite the Scyther, he eyed her sadistically. "I won't deny that I've been waiting for this," he muttered, still managing to be intimidating despite the wounds covering his body. "I'll admit that I came out for the worse in our last encounter. How many did you need to overcome me? Twenty-to-one? Thirty-to-one?"

"Your blade is dull," she responded, using the same insult that had driven him to the fatal error she used to escape last time.

He ground his teeth and rolled his eyes in fury, but did not attack her. "You," he said in a barely controlled voice, "are an arrogant little bitch, aren't you? What did my master mean when he called you 'human'?"

That caught her attention. She remembered him saying something to that effect before, in the prison. "Who is your real master, if not Giovanni, then?" She queried warily. "Is it Masque?"

He smiled in affirmation.

"Did he tell you…that thing?"

The Scyther swung his blade down suddenly. Missy, her attention diverted by their banter, barely had enough time to dodge to safety, even with her Eevee-heightened reflexes.

She backed off warily, but he simply smiled, lowering his blades, and continued as though nothing had happened.

"He did not tell me," he said with false pleasantness. "I overheard him muttering to himself. He does that often, actually, but usually his comments are of little importance."

Missy could see that. Masque wasn't what came to mind when you pictured a normal human being.

"Oh, he's different from other humans, to be sure," the Scyther said, seeming to read her mind. "But that is not a bad thing. He's more like us pokemon. He understands us. He knows how pathetic humans can really be. Lord Masque is a compelling man who—no, not a man. Regular humans bore me; Lord Masque fascinates me. He didn't 'catch' me like most humans obtain their slaves, you know—a pokemon like myself could never be caught—no, no, he enticed me. I came to him of my own volition, knowing he could offer me something I could never obtain in the wild."

Before Missy could press him further, he lunged again, blades outstretched; Missy barely dodged once more, but this time, he spun around after his first strike, catching her on the flat of his blade. The blow sent her flying and crashing painfully into the arena floor.

"But enough chitchat," he whispered. "My master shows interest in you, so I won't kill you, but believe me, when this battle is over, you will _**regret**_ ever leading that rabble against me." With a roar, he lunged again; this time, however, his blades were pointed back, along his body, allowing him to streamline through the air with even greater speed; his skull lowered for a devastating headbutt aimed right at Missy.

In the thick of battle, Missy experienced an odd sensation that was a bizarre mix of clarity and panic. Rather than dodge the conventional way, she rushed towards her assailant, and as they neared on another, she ducked and used her momentum to slide under the sinister mantis. As his increased speed propelled him past her, she turned and ran after him.

The Scyther, rather than trying to slow down and stop his intense speed, curved with the room, making a wide arc intending to eventually bring him to face his prey again. As he swung to the side, however, Missy just managed to get close enough to be within leaping distance, and lunged for him, landing on his body; she scratched, bit, and flailed as hard as she could. The Bug-type tried to shake her off, but spun wildly out of control; Missy leapt off just before he careened into a wall. Extricating himself, he roared and soared up high above the arena for a powerful swoop. As he came down, however, Missy noticed he had slowed quite a bit; the crash into the walls seemed to have addled his sense of direction, and he was slowing down to ensure a solid flight path.

As he neared, Missy took her opportunity and leapt up as high as she could, spinning through the air in flips. As her assailant soared beneath her, she crashed down, the force of her fall slamming into him and pinning him into the ground.

Standing on his back, Missy's face was near one of his wings; not even thinking, she did what seemed natural and took the sensitive wing membrane into her teeth, shaking her head soon after. Her fierce canines tore through the material, and sharply metallic insect blood rang through her taste buds and brought her back to reality. The pause was all the wounded Scyther needed to take advantage of; he threw her off and, before she even reached the ground, caught the little girl-turned-Eevee with a kick that sent her spiraling painfully into the floor.

Missy laid there woozily as the Scyther's shadowy formed loomed over her line of vision. He raised a blade high—through her shaky vision, Missy saw spots of red on the edge. Ruby's blood.

Her mind cleared again; thoughts of the Ponyta's noble efforts raced through her mind; the blade was swinging down; in a moment of perfect clarity, Missy caught the blade in her mouth just as Ruby had before.

As he struggled to free his blade from her fierce bite, the Scyther swung his other limb down to slice his opponent. Still gripping on, Missy leapt and twisted to avoid his attack. Her fierce canines suddenly seemed to pierce the Bug-type's edge; a small chink of the blade broke off where Missy had bit. She fell to the floor, but the Scyther didn't pursue his attack. He had raised his limb and was staring at it with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

"My blade…" Missy's assailant said in a strained voice. "My blade is broken. You broke it." Abruptly his gaze shifted towards Missy, and his eyes held such an amount of hatred and absolute fury that Missy thought she was going to faint right there. "You broke it. You broke it!! You broke my blade!! _**You broke my blade!! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE CRETIN!!!!**_"

He gave a primal scream and lunged towards Missy, his blades a whirlwind hurricane. She fell back, scrabbling across the floor as he fell upon her; many of his wild swings missed. He was no longer fighting precisely or with strategy; he fought enraged, like a madman gone berserk. Missy flailed back just as wildly; it was clear he meant to hold up to his promise; he wanted her to die. Her wildly placed attacks eventually resulted in her scratching claws raking into his eye. He roared back in pain, and she took the opportunity to run away as fast as she could.

With her heart pounding and adrenaline pumping through her, it took some time for her to even register the pain. Eventually, though, she noticed a throbbing sensation coming from her left ear. She caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye as she ran; the tip was shredded into a bloody mess.

_No time to think of that,_ she chastised herself as the Bug-type's screams resounded behind her. Chancing a brief glimpse behind her, she saw that the Scyther had recovered from her lucky blow, though his eye looked painfully swollen. He was trying to fly after her with his intense speed, but his damaged wing was impeding his flight and slowing him down. He didn't even seem to notice.

_He'll still catch up to me if I don't do something. I need someplace to hide!_ Missy thought desperately. As a wall loomed ahead of her, she turned to run adjacent to it; and saw a mass of black in front of her. Team Rocket uniforms.

_Why not?_ She thought. _He's already thrown aside any reservations. I've got to protect myself._ Missy raced towards the crowd, scrabbled up the wall and leapt into the shocked crowd of Rockets.

Within a few moments, the Scyther had caught up. Carnage ensued. He swung wildly and with abandon as Rockets fell back, shrieking. Red-stained gashes suddenly grew into their uniforms as they met his blade. The Scyther was shrieking. A voice that sounded like Giovanni's was yelling; Missy couldn't make out what he was saying. The Scyther still mowed through the panicked Rocket goons; in the midst of his berserker rage, he apparently did not care—or perhaps did not even notice—that he was causing damage to his allies.

Missy squirmed through the crowd, never letting herself stop; her chest burned from exhaustion, and her ear screamed in pain; she chanced another glance behind and the Scyther was getting closer; the Rockets were thinning, desperately getting out of his way…

Suddenly, a red beam of light shot out and grasped onto the Scyther, overwhelming him and pulling him backwards. Giovanni was recalling his fighter into the poke ball Masque had lent him. The Scyther fought being recall, still desperately trying to reach his hated target, roaring in protest and frustration. Eventually, he succumbed, and was recalled into the poke ball. Giovanni looked shaken. Team Rocket goons all breathed a sigh of relief.

Missy looked and realized she was near Dan's cage. She rushed to him through the stunned and wounded Rockets, reaching his hand that was pressed through the bars, nuzzling it. She realized Dan was crying. "Storm…I thought that monster was going to kill you…I thought you would lose, and we were done for…oh, Storm, your ear…"

As she pressed happily into his hand, Missy realized she was crying too. Erika's voice filled the chamber; she was speaking. "By your own rules, pokemon in this battle will not be recalled until they are 'no longer battle capable'. As you recalled your Scyther just barely, we must assume that it was incapable of further combat; thus, we win."

Missy turned away from Dan to watch the end of the battle, as Erika strode across the floor to confront Giovanni, who had risen from his throne.

"According to the stakes of this fight," Erika was continuing, "I decide what happens to the people of Saffron. You will let them—and me—back into their city and leave them alone. Forever."

Giovanni stiffened. "I don't think so," he said in a low, deadly voice. Erika's face was pure rage.

"But you promised!! You—"

"You expect me to keep my promise to you?! I'm a career criminal! I've decided," Giovanni said, "if I am to get what I want, I must remove all obstacles that are in the way of my goal. That includes you. All of you!!"

The hush in the arena was nearly tangible. "How do you plan to do that?" Erika challenged.

"How?! With my army! Rockets, loose your pokemon!" Suddenly, dozens of poke ball flashes lit the sunken stadium as Team Rockets grunts released their combatants. There were dozens and dozens of them. There were Snorlax, and Rattata. There were Kingler, and Shellder, and Tangela, and Dratini, and Lapras, and Ekans, and Jolteon. There were species Missy had never seen before. Team Rocket had hundreds of pokemon on their side.

Erika was backing away across the arena fearfully. The people of Saffron began screaming.

"Team Rocket! Take what is yours! Eliminate all of them!!" Giovanni raged. The grunts and their pokemon responded with a resounding cheer, their echoes booming throughout the sunken arena. Missy growled as she and Dan's cage were suddenly surrounded by no more than seven pokemon.

_We're going to die,_ she realized. _We all are. This is it._ As Team Rocket prepared for their final assault, however, a sudden explosion rocked the roof of the arena.

A great hole appeared there, showering debris onto the empty floor. The sunlight streaming in was blinding. Through the hole, dozens of people poured in. At their head was a woman in a red and black jumpsuit with long, tapered black hair.

"That's Sabrina!" Missy heard Dan say behind her. Among the army amassed behind her, Missy saw Blaine standing there, in his trademark coat and sunglasses. She saw a spunky-looking redhead. She saw a gaunt man dressed strangely like a ninja. She saw a person who dressed as though he had come straight out of boot camp. There were dozens of people. Many were wearing something with an emblem that resembled a stylized version of the letters P and L.

"The Pokemon League!" Missy heard a Rocket say fearfully. "They're here! In full force!"

"What did you do?" Giovanni roared at Sabrina who was looking down at him defiantly.

"I went to my _true_ bosses!" She responded. "The Indigo Plateau! This ends here, Giovanni!" Suddenly, flashes once again lit the arena as the Pokemon League forces released pokemon of their own. There were hundreds to match Giovanni's forces.

The pokemon clashed. The sound was deafening. It was sheer and utter chaos. Humans were yelling, pokemon were roaring. Lightning bolts flew wildly. Earthquakes rattled the arena. Great waves of water washed down the benches. Hundreds of pokemon fought simultaneously. The Rockets were being pushed back. Giovanni was screaming. "You fools! You'll destroy the ruins! Stop! Stop!"

Missy attacked any who came near, trying her best to protect Dan and the other two captives. The Rockets didn't pay her much mind, as they were focused on protecting themselves from the league. A stray lightning bolt struck near Missy, causing an explosion. She was thrown backwards, away from Dan, and landed on the arena floor.

As she struggled to get up, a streak of blood red passed by her. She looked up. It was Giovanni. He raced past her, towards what seemed to be a crevice in the arena wall, and disappeared. Missy sprung up, pain and weariness forgotten. "He's getting away!" She screamed. "Giovanni's getting away!" Nobody heard her in the midst of the frenzied fighting. She raced into the darkness after him.

She was in a darkened stone corridor, ancient frescoes and carvings dotting the walls. Ahead, Giovanni raced. Father ahead, a shaft of light shone down, and through that shaft, a ladder hung. The sound of a helicopter could be heard buzzing.

Giovanni reached the ladder and hung on. "Climb," he ordered, "get me out of here!" As the ladder lifted up, Missy caught up to him, and leapt up, grappling onto him; the ladder still rose.

"What—? You! Get off, get off!" Giovanni thrashed wildly. Missy was thrown off and fell down the shaft, landing painfully on the cold floor, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

---

She woke, her head swimming, to a strange voice.

"...ister Fawcett, I tried my best, but these wounds were serious, and there was too long of a wait between their infliction and the treatment. Your Eevee's ear won't look very pretty and will be very tattered, but it'll still work, and your Ponyta's back will be heavily scarred, and it'll likely pain her for the rest of her life."

As her vision came into focus, Missy saw she was in a Pokemon Center. Dan's voice echoed from a nearby hall.

"I understand, Nurse, thank you. I'm just happy that they're going to live to see today. You're a miracle worker."

Footsteps rang through the hall and faded from Missy's ears; the nurse was leaving. The hallway door opened and Dan strode in, followed by Blaine, Rico, and Erika.

"We've got to strike now, m'boy, and fast," Blaine was saying; it sounded as though they were resuming a previous conversation, one that had likely been interrupted by the arrival of the Center's nurse. "A good number of goons were captured in that battle, and the ones who escaped were scattered with no direction. Team Rocket is weakened. We've got to finish this before it has time to recuperate."

"But Giovanni _and_ Masque both escaped," Rico argued. "They just need to wait and hide until the heat dies off, and then Team Rocket will have leaders again. Criminals and scum will be drawn to the organization just as they were before, and in another few years, the status quo will return. And they could be _anywhere_ on the planet. In fact, they likely left to another region; how far do you think we can extend our search?"

"That may be so," Blaine countered, "but we have a lead. Based on what Sabrina has told us, it is very likely that Giovanni is the same individual as Viridian's missing Gym Leader. That's a very good start. We'll head to Viridian and see what we can dig up. Giovanni can't hide forever."

Dan noticed Missy watching them and broke off from the conversation, leaving the Gym Leader and Rico still arguing.

"You're awake," he noted, sitting down near the small bed on which she was sprawled. She sat up and looked intently at him. "I'm very proud of you," Dan said, sweeping her up and hugging her to his chest. Missy felt butterflies inside. "You risked your life to protect me…to protect all of us. The nurse tried to fix your ear, and she says it'll still work, but…"

Missy cut him off with a smile and nuzzled him. "I love you," she whispered into his chest. She was just happy they were both alive.

"You heard us talking, didn't you? About hunting down Giovanni? I know my original plan was to find a way back home, but this ended up sidetracking us a little bit, didn't it? There's evil here, Storm," Dan lamented. "And I can help quell it. I can't go back, not yet, not after all that's happened. Do you mind waiting a little longer?"

Missy thought. Did she mind? She had more reason to want to continue searching for a way back to their world than Dan suspected. But, in a way, he was right. She couldn't let things lie the way they were now. She shook her head. No, she did not mind.

"Good to hear," Dan said with a smile. He set her down on the floor and pointed to a door to another room.

"All the other recovered pokemon are in there. Why don't you go see them? We're probably going to stick around for a few days while everyone recuperates before heading out."

Missy walked over to the door. As she met with her joyful friends, she knew that they still had a difficult fight ahead of them.


	16. Chapter 16

AUTHOR NOTE: This story was first published on 08/20/2009 on deviantART. Well, this is it – you guys are all caught up with the dA folk now. So I guess you'll have to wait a little bit between updates from now on.

…Also, while I personally wasn't happy with this chapter, my readers on deviantART loved it, saying it was one of the best, if not **the **best, chapters I've written so far. So! Let me know what you think – about this chapter, the characters in the story, the story in general…just lay it on me.

***

It was past midnight when Giovanni chanced stalking into Viridian. He kept himself well-hidden even then; a change from his suit into an unassuming leather jacket and worn pants, and a fedora hat to cover his receding hairline. He kept his eyes down so that the few insomniac wanderers wouldn't think to glance at his face. And that they wouldn't see the fury in his eyes.

It had been nearly two decades that he had managed to more or less hide himself from the Plateau. His position had helped—as a Gym Leader, he had subverted investigations and deflected suspicion. He had used an assumed name then, when dealing with the Pokemon League, saving his true title for his true occupation: the head of the crime syndicate.

When Team Rocket began demanding more of his time, his absences became more and more frequent. Giovanni eventually took a "leave of extensive absence traveling abroad" from his duties as Gym Leader. It had been years since he had stayed in the Gym for more than a few days.

Nevertheless, the Viridian Gym was his oldest and most secret sanctuary. He had abandoned it in favor of new hideouts over the years, Celadon's being the most recent; but in case of travesty, it had always been there, an infallible last resort.

And there was travesty. Team Rocket had been struck a blow of grievous proportions. Sabrina had betrayed them.

Giovanni's mouth tightened. When he first realized that the secret to the true power he desired likely slept beneath Saffron, he knew he needed an insider to guide the city in the direction he wanted. He felt sure Sabrina was the one. Powerful and talented, but alienated from society, and jealous towards those she once considered her friends…she had the sure makings of a loyal Rocket lieutenant.

When Team Rocket made its move, however, Giovanni hadn't counted on her irritating sense of integrity. She had denied them. However, she did not report Team Rocket's proposal to the Indigo Plateau, which Giovanni had taken as a good sign; she was conflicted. She was considering their proposal.

A solution had presented itself. Masque. The man had been hired from a far-away region to work as a desensitizer; within only a few weeks he had skyrocketed through the ranks as his talent became apparent. Masque working alone could desensitize dozens of pokemon in the same amount of time it took a whole team to successfully decant two. Soon Masque had begun dealing with Giovanni himself.

Masque offered to approach Sabrina on Giovanni's behalf. Giovanni had been leery of that—no matter how much talent Masque possessed, he was not quite normal. However, Masque's proposal had been a success. Sabrina had turned for them, and served them for many years. Until now.

Giovanni ground his teeth. Masque. Sheer talent had saved the man's hide more times than Giovanni could count. Insubordinate to the extreme, Masque was, and he practiced disrespect and mockery as though they were arts. Few Rockets liked working with him, and that Scyther…Masque had arrived with a ridiculously powerful pokemon in tow. The Scyther was immensely powerful, but it was dangerous and sometimes difficult to control. Giovanni new these from experience; he had often entreated Masque to lend the Scyther to him. That was one of the things about the man that most irked Giovanni, that he had to _entreat_. With anyone else in the organization, Giovanni would have simply demanded.

Giovanni finally made it to the Gym, a dilapidated old building on the outskirts of town. The front was boarded up, but Giovanni knew there was a secret path in. Stepping around to the back, after making certain he wasn't followed, Giovanni approached a crumbling Kanghaskhan statue. In front of it was a grate that looked like a simple storm drain. Giovanni lifted off the grate and pulled it back into place after entering the tunnel. Climbing down, he eventually reached a small alcove. Inside the alcove was a second drain that truly led to the sewers; the room was a dank and messy stone enclosure, with what appeared to be graffiti peppering the walls. Had anybody actually made it down here, they simply would have thought they had discovered a teenage delinquent's hideaway.

Giovanni approached one of the walls and pressed in a block in which a large, red R had been spraypainted. Stone shifted as the alcove opened to a hallway underground.

Stepping in, Giovanni felt himself tense up as the doorway shut behind him. He could barely see his hand in front of him; the Gym's subterranean basement had no windows and was lit constantly to ensure visibility. But, someone had turned the lights off. That wasn't what made him tense, however; something else was nagging him.

As Giovanni carefully made his way down the hallway, he tried to figure out what was happening. Once he made his escape out of Saffron, he had radioed ahead to Viridian to let them know he would be arriving to oversee an evacuation and that they had to hurry.

Giovanni stepped into the upper basement, where starlight filtered in through deep window wells, slightly improving visibility. The lights were out here, too. The nagging feeling returned, tugging at the back of his mind.

"Masque?!" Giovanni shouted, his voice echoing eerily down the halls. "Where are you?!"

There was no answer. Giovanni raced to the next level, which was the ground floor. True windows here made the place more or less navigable. At the end of the hall, blue light was spilling through an open door. Giovanni raced through, to find Masque sitting there calmly, observing the base through a plethora of security screens, which were the source of the artificial light. The nagging feeling ran up his spine once more.

"Hello, sir," Masque said calmly, turning in his swivel chair, "I must say that for the briefest of moments I failed to recognize you. Suits all wrinkled today?"

Giovanni angrily berated the ridiculously-dressed man. "I wasn't about to let my taste for finery allow me to be caught. What are you doing?! Didn't you receive my message? Team Rocket is scattered, the Pokemon League will soon be here, and—"

"Did you bring my Scyther?" Masque interrupted amiably, ignoring Giovanni's rant.

Giovanni angrily unclipped the poke ball from his belt and handed it to Masque. "There, here he is; he caused a terrible mess of things, he went berserk during a battle and tried to kill his opponent, not to mention that he attacked Rocket members and—"

"Who was his opponent?" Masque asked, interrupting again. Giovanni ground his teeth.

"That grey Eevee, the one trained by the boy who escaped our Celadon base."

"Interesting…" Masque murmured. "Very interesting…"

"INTERESTING?!" Giovanni roared. "What's 'interesting is that you've apparently just been sitting here while our enemies are closing in around us! The League is coming, Sabrina's betrayed us, the ruins are overrun and devastated—"

While Giovanni screamed at him, Masque ignored the yells and calmly released his Scyther, murmuring to the bug pokemon and studying him intently. When Giovanni realized Masque wasn't paying attention, he grew even more furious.

"_**Damn you, Masque!!**_ Stop playing your stupid games with your little servant and listen! Team Rocket is in terrible peril, what have you and all the others been…been…"

Giovanni stopped suddenly. He finally knew what that nagging feeling was. Even if Masque had ignored his transmission, the Viridian Gym was a hive for Team Rocket. Even after dark, the base would be buzzing with activity down to the lowest levels. However, since arriving here, Giovanni had seen no other person…except Masque. He glanced at the security monitors. Nothing. No sign of activity. Not a single person or pokemon to be seen.

"Where…is everyone else?" Giovanni asked in a strained voice. Masque gave no sign he had heard; he continued whispering to his Scyther.

"_What happened to them?!_"

Masque stopped his whispering and straightened up.

"Did you—"

"Kill them? Not most of them, no," Masque finished smoothly. Giovanni balked at the sudden malice in the eyes behind the mask. He had always scoffed at subordinates who told them that Masque instilled fear in them, but now…now, he felt it himself.

"When you sent that transmission," Masque continued, "many of your peons were understandably upset. Myself, I was delighted.

"You know, when I first offered my services to you, I thought perhaps turning my talents to your ambitions might be enough to satisfy me. I was wrong. You and your petty dreams, your petty wants…they sickened me. 'Team Rocket' was nothing more than a joke run by a greedy scavenger of a man. I stuck to it, of course…there was nothing better to do, and one day perhaps, you might turn a little more interesting…

"Not too long ago, however, I discovered something. A piece of information whose potential is absolutely infinite. That's when I realized that your paltry organization no longer interested me. So, when you sent that message, I knew what it meant—Team Rocket breaking, Rico showing his true colors, that Eevee and the boy triumphing, the League stepping up to your challenge, all so soon after I discovered that fact? It was like fate.

"I spoke to the Rockets here, showed them the writing on the wall. Most agreed with me without requiring any…persuasion. A few, however, tried denying what I told them. They had to be put down. It was a necessity."

Giovanni stepped back into the hall, mouth working wordlessly. Masque stepped after him, his Scyther close at his heels.

"Are you so shocked by murder, Giovanni? Pitiful. You are like a vulture flying high above a pack of predators, waiting to pick off whatever they leave you. You can't kill. You've ordered plenty of deaths to be carried out, but you've never done it yourself. Any weakling can order an execution, but it takes a certain caliber to actually join the firing squad. You should have known your ambitions would attract souls much blacker than yours."

There was a flash. Giovanni had sent out his Hypno. "Bind him," Giovanni raged, pointing at Masque, "strike him down!" However, the Hypno didn't make a move. Masque's mouth formed a malicious smile beneath his pearl mask.

"Just like most of the fighters in this organization, that pokemon had been conditioned by me," he gloated. "Over the process I instilled a desire to serve you, to be sure, but behind that I hid something else. The pokemon of Team Rocket will _**never**_ act against me…Do you remember what I once told you? 'You cannot control a marionette with only one string'. You dared to think you controlled me?!"

Masque's smile became a ferocious, toothy grin, which was matched on his Scyther's face. The Hypno stood lifelessly as Giovanni continued backing away fearfully.

"All of your enforcers have been conditioned by me before they see use." Masque held up one finger. "That's one string. You allowed terror of me to grow within your organization, so that many of your followers feared me more than you." He held up another finger. "Another string. Despite the fact that I often acted against your interests, you never took action, signaling to me and to others that I had a certain leeway out of your jurisdiction." Another finger. "That a third. You never did the dirty work yourself, instead delegating it to those even more amoral than you…like myself. That's four." Masque did indeed have four fingers up. His grin had vanished, and his face looked murderous.

"I've made you dance this way and that for _years_ now, Giovanni. You were my plaything. Well, now you and your organization bore me."

"Wait," Giovanni pleaded, "please, I still have influence, all the resources of my team, I can—"

"I'll cut your strings."

Masque snapped his fingers. The Scyther lunged forward.

---

Missy woke to see clouds rolling past the windows. The airplane engine hummed a quiet lullaby to everyone in the plane. _It's beautiful…_ Missy thought, seeing the white wisps racing past in the husky pre-dawn light; every now and then a star poked its way through the sky.

She yawned and stretched. If it was almost morning, they must be getting close to Viridian. Following the aftermath of the great battle beneath Saffron, the Indigo Plateau was systematically trying to exterminate Team Rocket before it could rise again. However, should Giovanni and Masque evade the purge, they could attract new Rockets to them and begin anew. That was why the Plateau had formed a Team dedicated to hunting down the illusive leader; headed by Blaine, it also consisted of Sabrina, Dan, and Rico.

Missy was more or less happy with the team; she liked Blaine, from staying with him back on Cinnabar, and Sabrina was quiet, if not a little odd. Missy thought the woman was still pained over her previous defection to the side of Team Rocket. For one glorious day Missy had dared to hope that Sabrina would deduce her true identity, but the psychic woman's powers apparently did not extend to mind reading. Rico was on fairly good terms with Dan, and seemed to have forgiven him for breaking his nose. Although Missy would never admit it, she was especially happy that Erika wasn't on the team; she had warmed up to Celadon's Gym Leader after spending a good deal of time with her in the sunken ruins beneath Saffron, but she still didn't particularly enjoy the way Erika seemed to enjoy planting kisses on Dan.

"Well," a voice said, "I actually wasn't part of the Team for very long, so I never actually went to the Viridian base, and I didn't know its nature. It's entirely plausible that it could be the Gym, however."

That was Rico talking. He was discussing the upcoming plans with one of the Gym Leaders. Sabrina's information suggested that Giovanni was actually Viridian's missing Gym Leader, a fact which Dan seemed to heartily agree upon—Missy had overheard Dan and Blaine talking; she had almost forgotten Blaine knew Dan's secret origins. Dan elaborated that information from his home universe indeed confirmed Viridian City as Giovanni's hideaway, but he admitted that there were considerable differences between the two, such as the presence of Masque, the underground ruins beneath Saffron, and Sabrina's traitor status, which his knowledge of the pokemon universe had not prepared him for.

"It's alright, m'boy," Blaine had whispered back. "Frankly, I'm a bit glad this magic game of yours doesn't allow persons automatic, one-hundred-percent accurate knowledge of every facet of my world."

Blaine did indeed have his hands full; not only with leading the mission, but with Ruby as well. The Ponyta was indeed very loyal to Dan, and served him faithfully, but she still possessed a special sort of reverence for her former trainer. It was largely Blaine who had dispelled the gloom Ruby felt concerning her wounded back; it had healed very quickly and the wound was now largely replaced by heavy scarring, but Ruby still could not exert herself too strenuously without experiencing severe pain. Missy still could not get over how fast pokemon healed; her own ear, though still tattered and mangled in appearance, only occasionally pained her now.

Blaine had noticed his former battler's melancholy and, with a few well-chosen words, effectively dispelled it. She still spent a large amount of time near her former trainer, however; nobody but her knew why, but Missy personally thought that Ruby was using Blaine's fortitude as an example to steel herself to accept her injury.

A sudden bump jarred Missy back to reality. The plane had touched down.

"Ready, Storm?" Dan's voice called from behind her. She turned; Dan strode down the hall. She rushed up and leapt into his inviting arms, nuzzling him. She had been doing that a lot lately.

"This is going to be big," Dan continued, his voice edged. He was whispering so that only she could hear. "Even if neither Rocket leader is there, that's still Giovanni's oldest base—the games have been wrong on many accounts, but I'm certain this isn't one of them—and there will be Rocket goons everywhere. You prepared?"

Missy nodded. Dan smirked in response. "Me too."

From the landing strip in Viridian, the group strode briskly. The Gym was on the edge of town, abandoned. Not wanting to alert the Rockets to their presence, they had landed some distance away; they set a brisk pace through the early morning mists of Viridan. The four trainers each loosed their pokemon.

Dan's pokemon whispered excitedly. Missy saw Ruby's gaze wandering its way over to Blaine.

"Ruby," she whispered, falling in beside the Ponyta, "keep your mind on the mission."

"Hmph," Ruby said snappily, "I know that, little girl." Though Ruby's taunts had grown a little less biting the past few days, she could still be irritating if you caught her in a bad mood.

"Ohhh," Armor grumbled wearily, "I'm not so sure about this, eh? We've gotten a lot stronger recently, but can we take on a whole Gym full of Rockets even _with_ backup?"

"Oh please," Nightshade muttered back, "we've taken down as many before. And our backup is a battling expert and two Gym Leaders. We're basically invincible." Artemis nodded her agreement hastily.

Missy wasn't so sure; the closer they got to the Gym's location, the more anxious and nervous she grew. It was like something was telling her not to get any closer.

They arrived at the Gym. Rico's Gyarados, Tyrant, burst the door open. He and Blaine, who were at the front of the procession, rushed in—but, they were greeted by an empty hallway. "Strange," muttered Blaine. "It doesn't show signs of disuse or neglect…but where is everyone?"

As Dan and Sabrina's pokemon filed over the threshold, a sudden sickly odor assaulted Missy's nose. She fell back fearfully.

"What's the matter, Missy?" Nemo asked. The Seadra had thankfully mostly conquered his shyness—at least, he could stand to be around his teammates and still be more outgoing. "What is it?"

"Don't you smell it?" She whispered, horrified. "That awful smell?"

Nemo and the others looked at her confusedly. "It—it smells like…blood…" Missy said.

"Blood?!" Artemis yelped in a high voice. "Ohmygosh that's creepy what do you think—"

"I don't smell anything," interrupted Nightshade. As Missy opened her mouth again to speak, he cut her off. "Not that I don't believe you. You have the best nose out of all of us by far. But what do you want us to do about it? Rockets aren't nice people. We all knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park."

Missy shook her head. "I won't go in there; I'd rather die! Something terrible has happened here…" The blood scent washed out of the building in waves.

Her companions spoke up, trying to convince her, but they fell silent when another voice rang out.

"Storm?" Dan said. He and the rest of the humans, and their pokemon, were a good ways down the entrance hallway already. "Storm, what's wrong? Hurry up—you're holding us up! We need to move!"

Missy shrunk back, her ears flat against her furry head as Dan and her teammates' questioning gazes swept over her. "I—I—I'll come," she said finally, taking a trembling step into the building. Dan's pokemon soon caught up with him, and the group continued. As they plunged deeper into the Gym, the blood scent grew even more sharp and powerful. Soon, other pokemon began noticing it, and many soon became as hesitant as Missy.

The humans were feeling a bit leery as well; no matter how many rooms they searched, or endless hallways they turned down, there wasn't a single Rocket to be found. Soon the entrie party was off-put.

Finally, they rounded a corner and the blood scent grew nearly overpowering.

"Hey," Dan cried, "I think there's someone down there! At the bottom of the hall, slumped on the ground!" The group raced up, but as they neared, the blood scent reached a feverish plateau and Missy realized what it was. The humans figured it out not long after.

The 'thing' that Dan had seen at the bottom of the end of the hall was a recently dead man, slumped over in torn clothes and a pool of blood.

"I think that's…Giovanni…" Rico said, finally breaking the stunned silence.

Dan gave a nod, his face pale, as Blaine muttered under his breath. "But why…why their own boss…"

Their discovery was interrupted by a rustling sound from the floor above. Everyone present hesitated for a brief moment before rushing up the nearby stairs. There was another hallway on the second floor, and the nearest door to the stairwell was ajar, and sounds could be heard coming from behind it.

Not giving the group any moment to pause, lest they rediscover their fear and flee, Rico rushed forward and pushed the door open wider. Inside was an office; Masque was their browsing over some papers with an apparent lack of interest, and his Scyther lounged against the walls. The Scyther's blades were stained red.

"Ahh," Masque said cheerfully, looking up from the sheets as he heard them come in. "Welcome, welcome. I trust you've come to offer me thanks."

When the Scyther caught sight of Missy, he snarled; eyes narrowing, he made to move from the wall, but Masque halted him with a gesture.

"Easy, easy…" the former desensitizer murmured.

"What have you _done?!_" demanded Sabrina.

Behind the pearl covering his face, Masque's eyes widened as though in shock. "I've removed a dangerous and uncontrollable criminal who was a threat to pokemon and society everywhere. I've performed Kanto—nay, the world—a public service. I'm somewhat shocked you are not applauding me. By the way, Sabrina, you look as beautiful as ever. How have you been doing?"

Sabrina angrily took a step forward but was halted by Blaine. "The Indigo Plateau _never_ advocates the use of lethal force unless absolutely necessary," Cinnabar's Gym Leader growled. The ferocity radiating from his eyes would have wilted most men, but Masque looked simply amused.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not a part of the Indigo Plateau. And killing Giovanni _was_ absolutely necessary…oh, you have no idea…"

"That's enough of your sick justifications," Rico said angrily. "I am placing you under arrest for murder, among several other charges."

Almost everyone in the room, from Missy to Dan to Masque's Scyther, tensed in preparation of a fight. Masque, however, just gave a long and melodramatic sigh.

"If you feel it must be so," he said wistfully. "Return, Scyther." The surprise on Rico's face was matched only by that of the Scyther as he returned to the poke ball in a stream of red light.

Rico pulled out a pair of handcuffs and took a hesitant step forwards. "You're…not putting up a fight?"

Masque stuck his arms forward to allow his former rival to cuff him. "Does it look like it?"

Rico snapped the handcuffs onto Masque quickly. The desensitizer just smiled.

Rico swallowed, and then said, "I…I suppose I'll take him to Viridian's police station, then."

As Rico led Masque out, the latter man fixed everyone in the room with an unsettling stare. "Farewell then, just servants of the Pokemon League. But, who knows, I might walk free sooner than you think. The paths our lives take can take strange and mysterious turns—eh, Storm?" Masque was grinning wider than ever as Rico led him out.

The others stood silently in that room for a long, long time.

---

That evening, Dan and his pokemon sat quietly in the hotel room they had rented out. Rico, Sabrina, and Blaine were still at the police station. The pokemon were quiet, and rarely engaged in conversation; what little they did start was melancholy and ended quickly. Dan sat in the old and rather uncomfortable armchair in the room that was situated near the window, staring out into the sky. Missy was slumped on his lap; he was absentmindedly running his hand through her fur.

"Why?" Dan finally whispered. "Why do things like this happen?"

"I don't know," Missy whispered back sadly. She could still see Masque's vicious smile in the back of her mind. The blood scent would haunt her. "I just don't know."


	17. Chapter 17

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here it is, chapter 17! I'm actually not too fond of this one, but it at least moves the story along, right?

---

Missy woke with yet another nightmare fresh in her mind. Until recently, her dreams had been mostly benign; that first week in her silvery new body had been plagued with nightmares, sure, but since then she had more or less pushed the silent fears that she would never change back, that she was getting too used to her new body and would remain an Eevee for the rest of her life, into the dark recesses of her mind. She rarely pondered them anymore.

No, her new nightmares were not about her; not directly. They most commonly depicted the bloodied, horrific corpse of Giovanni. If her bad dreams had been limited exclusively to that image, she might have been able to bear it; it was no worse than it had been in real life.

But sometimes, she wandered through the abandoned hallways of the Viridian Gym to find Dan there, instead of Giovanni. She always woke weeping from those. The ones concerning her fellow pokemon were little better; Ruby and Nightshade, Nemo and Armor. She had seen them all.

Even worse than those, if it were possible, were the dreams where she saw absolutely nothing, but the blood scent was overpowering, filling her, and Masque's voice rang through the darkness, whispering her name and taunting her.

Missy had hoped that, like her nightmares back at Blaine's mansion, these new ones would leave her after a week or so. But it had been two weeks since the team had invaded Viridian Gym, and they persisted.

Dan and his team had been working with the Indigo Plateau the past couple of weeks, helping to find and secure small knots of Rocket members who still persisted after the fall of their team. It was anticlimactic work, however. With one of their bosses dead, and the other imprisoned, the scattered remnants of Team Rocket were leaderless and blind. They hardly got up to much, and typically, finding them was more difficult than bringing them in.

Missy sat down on the little cushion, not unlike a cat-bed, that served as her mattress. They were operating out of Erika's mansion, in Celadon, helping the Gym Leader track down members in the area. There were quite a few, seeing how Team Rocket's former base was located in town.

Between the nightmares and the fact that Erika was, once again, flirting with Dan almost incessantly, Missy was finding it very easy to be depressed. She mused over that day's capture. The last Rocket Dan and his team had brought in had been a nervous, scrawny boy with only one pokemon-a single Raticate-who couldn't have been older than fifteen.

_Fifteen?_ She had thought as he was led away. _He can't be any older than me. And yet, he was working for Giovanni? How many pokemon did he rip away from their loving trainers? Was he in the crowd underneath Saffron; did he cheer when Giovanni's servants brutalized our team? Was he ready to attack the defenseless citizens on Giovanni's command? Fifteen…_

She abruptly snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Dan's other pokemon had surrounded her.

"You alright, eh?" Armor said; she could tell from the way his voice strained that he was trying to hide how concerned he was. She looked around at the others. All of them looked worried, too, and were trying with varying degrees of success to hide it; even Ruby and Nightshade were there.

"I'm fine," Missy muttered, trying to blow them off. She wasn't in the mood for pep talks.

"Listen," Nemo said, "we've just been worried, about you, that's all. You've been all down in the dumps recently and, since we're your friends, we thought-"

"I'm _fine,_ Nemo," Missy said forcefully; perhaps more forcefully than she intended. The Seadra sunk back, midsentence. "I…I'm just…please, guys, leave me alone."

The other pokemon shrunk away, deflated, and briefly Missy felt bad about speaking to her friends that way. She didn't call out an apology, though, and instead sunk back onto her cushion, lost in her own thoughts.

---

Dan was wandering the grounds of Erika's estate; the empty walkways, fountains, and flower gardens were dimly lit by the starlight. He had shrugged off her advances for the evening; Erika was nice enough, but a little too forward and flirtatious for him to really be comfortable around her. Greg eventually plopped down on a marble bench overlooking a fountain carved in the shape of an Oddish. Dan couldn't help smirking; the Oddish was wearing an amenable, pleasant expression, the sort he almost _never_ saw on Nightshade's face.

Dan had often found himself wishing he could understand his pokemon since arriving in this world. He could more or less grasp basic aspects of his pokemon's personalities: Artemis never stopped moving or making noise, which brought to mind someone hyperactive, and it wasn't very difficult to tell that Nemo was timid. Still, the nuances of their true natures eluded him. How did their group dynamics function? What did they think of each other? What did they think of _him_?

Dan's musings were interrupted, suddenly, by one of the last people he would have expected to run into on his starlit walk. Blaine.

"Well, m'boy, how are things running for you?" The labcoat-wearing Gym Leader said with a mustached grin, settling himself near the young trainer.

"Great, Blaine, but what are you…?" Dan queried, not bothering to finish the obvious question.

"Oh, I stopped by Saffron to help out in the cleanup effort," Blaine said. "Hunting down Rockets on Cinnabar got old fast once they all rooted themselves out; the team never got too much of a foothold in town, actually. Apparently I keep Cinnabar on a pretty short leash. But that's a tangent for another day. Long story cut down, I thought why not hop on over to the next town, since I was already in the neighborhood, and say hello to a young world-hopping friend of mine."

"Thanks for stopping by," Dan said gratefully. "I've needed the company."

"So," Blaine said, "you've been enjoying your stay here in Celadon, I presume?" Dan gave a half-hearted shrug in response, and Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"It's just-" Dan began, then sighed. "I'm a little…homesick. This place is amazing, everything I could have ever dreamed of, but…I come from another _world_, Blaine. I don't belong here. That's why I left Cinnabar in the first place. I got a little off-track with these Rockets, though."

"Why not resume your search?" Blaine queried.

"Well, because-there's all this stuff going on here in this world, and if I left now, it'd feel like I was, I dunno, abandoning all of you. I can't do that."

"Putting us before you;" Blaine mused. "Noble. And yet, in seeking to avoid abandoning us, you are in effect abandoning yourself."

Dan squirmed uncomfortably. "Jeez, Blaine, you don't have to put it that way."

"What 'way' am I putting it? It's the truth, Dan. And here's another: Team Rocket is massive, and this campaign to clean them up will take a long time even without their leaders to guide them. Years. Decades, even. You might never reach home if you decide to stick around till the end."

Dan blinked. Deep down, he knew this was true. He had grappled with it over the past couple of nights. "You want me to leave?" He said. There was another reason he had put off resuming his search; he didn't want to leave all of his new friends behind. "You might never see me again. You don't care?"

"I care." Blaine said quietly. "I've come to think of you almost as a surrogate son, Dan. But I've realized that however much I'd like you to stick around here, to do so would be to deprive a _real_ father of his son's company. I've come to grips that you belong somewhere else, and that there are people in that somewhere else, friends and family, who care about you and who are, quite possibly at this moment, despairing over the possibility that they might never see you again."

"You're right," Dan muttered. "As usual. It's just, why can't I have the best of both worlds?"

"You're recommitted, then, to searching for a way back?"

"Yeah."

Blaine gave a knowing smile. "Well, in that case, I think I may have a lead for you; much better than the transparent hopes that led you to Celadon in the first place, anyway."

Blaine stepped up and snapped his fingers. Dan very nearly gaped as Rico strode out of the darkness.

"Hey, Dan," Rico grinned.

"I realized that even if you did decide to return to your quest, you'd be back to square zero, with nowhere to go," Blaine elaborated. "So I decided to enlist Rico's aid. I hope you don't mind, but I've informed him of your origins."

"At first I didn't believe it," Rico divulged. "But, given that Blaine is…er, Blaine, I decided to listen to the whole thing. And I admit there's enough crazy stuff going on in the world that interdimensional travel shouldn't immediately be ruled as impossible. And the origins Blaine gave you explained a lot of stuff. You always seemed oddly emphatic about things that a normal civilian wouldn't be aware of; Giovanni's double identity as a Gym Leader, for example."

"Well, it's true," Dan admitted; Rico had proved himself trustworthy enough in the past, and Blaine was right in thinking Dan would need more people helping him search for a way home. "I do come from another world that treats this one as-well, as a lot of things, really, but mostly as a game."

"That sounds like a weird place, your world," Rico said. "I mean, how does a world without pokemon even _work_? I mean, how does your economy and politics and crime and everything run? I can't even _imagine_ how a society without pokemon could function."

"It's all relative, I guess," Dan said uncomfortably. "I mean, most people from my world would have a hard time figuring out what to do in a place where every facet of life revolved around these fantastical creatures, which is how they would see them. I mean, they see themselves as reality, and this place as just a game."

"Do you think that's all this is? A game?" Rico asked. Blaine nodded in agreement to the young battler's question; Dan realized it must have been difficult for them to truly fathom the concept.

"I'm not sure," Dan replied, and he spoke the truth. "I thought so at first, but I've grappled with the idea a lot these past few months. The games were pretty accurate, sure, but they weren't accurate about _everything_. There's a lot they didn't elaborate on, and even stuff they were wrong about. This place-it's its own world, really." That was the truth, too. "Just because it shows up in mine as a game means nothing. My own world could be represented as a movie, or something, in a third world, and that place could be a storybook for this universe. Who knows? Maybe there's a whole bunch of universes out there, and they all bleed together, manifesting as stories and tales, myths and legends."

The three men stood in silence for a moment, before Blaine barked out a laugh. "Heavy stuff, lads," he chortled, "but in the end does it change the fact that we're here, now? This is the reality I've known all my life, and that's good enough for me."

"Right," Rico said sheepishly, rubbing his hand through his dyed-blue hair. "Kinda got off track there. Well, regardless, after Blaine approached me I had an idea of how to possibly get you home. Listen to this…"

---

A few days later, Dan took his pokemon aside and told them that they were more or less done with Rocket-hunting. Rico had come up with a way to possibly return him to his world, he said. They were leaving the next day. Dan had offered each of his pokemon the chance for him to give them to another trainer (they might not want to travel to another world, possibly forever, with him, he said) but all had vigorously shook their heads. They were sticking with him.

The evening before he left, Dan said his goodbyes to Erika. Missy never found out whether or not he told her the whole truth concerning his extra-dimensional origins, but certainly he informed her that he was going on a long journey, very far away, and he possibly wouldn't come back. Ever. Erika hadn't taken the news well.

After screaming at him for some time, Erika had raced out of her mansion. Missy had caught sight of the Gym Leader as she fled, and Erika's face was red and covered in tears. Missy was surprised to find that she felt sad for Erika; the girl was really very nice, and had obviously felt quite strongly for Dan. She had simply fallen into the trap that so many, young and old alike, succumbed to: Erika had mistook infatuation for love.

The following day, when Dan said goodbye to his friends in the pokemon world for possibly the last time, Erika didn't show up. Missy didn't know if he was relieved or sad by it. Probably a little of both.

As Dan embraced Blaine while saying farewell, his mentor nodded gruffly. "I wish I could accompany you, but I've already left Cinnabar alone longer than is probably wise. You remember what I said, boy, last time we parted? If you don't return, I'll take it as a sign you've made it home. But should you find yourself unable to return…"

"…I'll always have a home in Cinnabar," Dan finished. "I won't forget it, Blaine, even if I get back to my world."

Soon, the journey was underway.

Missy trotted alongside Dan, who was chatting amiably with Rico; the expert battler was accompanying them on their journey. The rest of Dan's team strode along as well. An uncomfortable silence hung between the pokemon; they had not approached Missy since their disastrous attempt at comfort a few nights past.

Missy sighed. She felt _terrible_ about snapping at her friends like that. And was it really so wrong of them to try to comfort her?

"Listen, guys, I'm…I'm sorry I lashed out at you all that other night. I've just been a little weary these past couple of weeks."

"Aw," Artemis said speedily, opening her mouth almost the moment Missy had hers shut, \"we-understand-we-all-have-are-own-little-down-times-except-maybe-Nightshade-his-aren't-so-little-but-anyways-to-get-back-on-track-we-don't-think-too-bad-of-you-am-I-right-guys?\"

Missy didn't bother suppressing the grin. It was impossible to stay depressed around Artemis. Her teammates were also smiling-well, _except_ Nightshade, though Missy didn't know if that was because of Artemis' slight towards him or if he was just being himself-and agreed with Artemis' statements almost immediately.

"It's all right," Nemo said. "We know you would never mean to hurt us."

"I hope this means that we lose the depressed you soon, and get the old you back," murmured Nightshade in a tone that wasn't exactly uplifting, but it was at least less cynical than usual. "I speak the truth when I say you are the heart and soul of this group, Missy. Should you suffer, we all suffer."

"We're here to help, little girl," said Ruby, "myself included, if you'll believe it. Nobody can sympathize better with the hurt than those who have been hurt." Though the Ponyta did not say anything further and made no effort to point out the obvious, Missy's eyes were drawn to her friend's scarred back.

"I just realized," Missy said. "If Dan and I really do head home, and you come with us…you might never see Blaine again. Armor and Nemo were caught by Dan, and the original trainer that Nightshade and Artemis belonged to was killed, but…"

"I know," said Ruby, and she sounded a way Missy had never heard her before: genuinely saddened. "But I can't stay at his side forever. If Sir Blaine thought I belonged with Sir Dan, then there must have been a reason. I've helped you all, and…you're all my friends, after all." Ruby blushed; she had probably never anticipated herself saying that last one.

"Hey!" Armor boomed, interrupting. "Just think, eh? We're back on track to finding a way back home for you, Missy! You might be back to your old self soon! Just think about that, and it'll cheer you up soon, eh?"

"Maybe," she said, and though her friends had cheered her up, a wraith of doubt crept back into her. It was the old fear-what if she didn't change...? "I hope so. I really, truly hope so."

"…tially have Giovanni to thank for the idea, actually," the pokemon heard Rico saying to Dan as they walked; while they had been conversing, so had the two trainers. "After we…found him…the mad plans from when I served Team Rocket kept running through my head, for some reason. And when Blaine approached me, two and two came together. His obsession concerning Saffron was the primary spark that fed the fire; if ruins like those really held some power, perhaps they could be the secret to bridging the gap between dimensions? But, as you're aware, they're still closed off thanks to that battle from before, so I had to turn my attentions to another remnant from the ancient times…"

Over the next few days, the group made their way across the countryside. They spent a day in Saffron, helping in the relief effort; Dan said that if he did make it home, he didn't want his last great action in another universe to be that of abandoning his friends in a time of need.

After leaving once more, they traveled along the rolling roads for the next few days. One night, Missy found herself sleepless. She sat on a grassy knoll not far off from their campsite, gazing at the stars. The wind ruffled her fur, and she recalled the night when Dan had told Blaine the truth of his origins. That night had not been so different than this one, except that grey storm clouds had accompanied the wind and the stars, and she had been crying in the rain after a horrific dream where she was neither human nor pokemon, but something in-between…

Missy shuddered. Nightmares. The ones about Giovanni and Masque still invaded her nights, though she tried to ignore them as best she could during the day. But that vision of herself as a half-human atrocity was the worst she had dreamt in this world; perhaps the worst she had dreamt ever.

_I'd rather stay as I am now than have that happen to me,_ Missy thought, chilled. That train of thought eventually led to another. If they did return to her home world, and she became herself again…would she miss this body? She had loathed it at first, but now…she found herself proud of her speed, the silvery sheen of her fur, her sleekness.

She shook herself mentally. Speed and healing and pretty fur didn't change the fact that she didn't belong in this form. _But still,_ Missy told herself, _this wind…I'm not even minding it now, thanks to my fur, but if I was a girl, I'd be shivering and bundling myself up in a jacket. Wouldn't I?_ It was getting hard to even remember what it had been like in her true body-and that thought scared her deeply.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by a ringing from the campsite. Trotting back to the group, Missy arrived just in time to see Rico hang up his cell phone angrily.

"Well, damn." Rico said. "I just got a call from the Indigo Plateau-there was a robbery nearby in a small little village a ways back. The town's so tiny that they only have two men for law enforcement, and both officers are helping rebuild Saffron. They want me to head over and take a look, since I'm the nearest operative." Rico looked positively livid.

"Sorry, Dan. You'll have to go there by yourself; you should make it by tomorrow evening if you leave early enough." Rico shook his head angrily. "Guess you can always count on the bosses to mess up your plans, right?"

"It's okay, man," Dan said. "After all, tomorrow would have been the last day of your journey with us anyway; can't have you wandering between worlds, am I right? If you have to leave early, it may as well be to help people, right?"

Rico shrugged brusquely, but he looked less furious. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll have to leave as soon as possible…well, good luck, Dan. I hope you make it home-heh, but at the same time, I hope I get to see you again. Funny, isn't it?"

Before long Rico was ready to leave, and he and Dan said their goodbyes; Rico even had praise for Dan's pokemon before he left, congratulating them on beating him back when they didn't know he was a double agent, and for helping to quell Giovanni. Eventually, though, everyone knew Rico couldn't put off his duty anymore, and he walked off, quickly swallowed by the night.

Dan sat down near their campfire, and stared at it for a long time before finally sighing. "If I really do make it back home on this lead," he said, "that'll have been the last goodbye I ever said to one of my friends from this world. Kind of depresses you, actually, to think of it that way."

Missy found herself pitying him. Her own friends, the pokemon of Dan's team, were still with her, and had pledged to stay no matter where their journey led them, but he might never see his human companions again.

Before she knew what was happening, Missy found herself walking over and nuzzling Dan's leg, trying to comfort him. Dan looked down with a smile.

"Heh, guess I can't stay mad around you, Storm. I know what you're trying to say: I still have my pokemon here with me to keep me company, and I'll never have to worry about saying goodbye to you guys, right?" He swept her up into his arms and began running his hand through her grey fur.

Well, that wasn't _exactly_ what she had been trying to get across, but…he was at least cheered up, and being embraced by him like that made her feel warm inside. Dan and his pokemon stared into the fire, and as the flames danced before Missy's eyes, she grew drowsy, as she always did when Dan held her close and pet her…

---  
The following day, they packed up and headed out, ready to complete their journey. Without Rico to keep him company, Dan strode quietly, lost in his own thoughts; he set a quick pace, as well, eager to arrive to the place that might very well hold the secret to his return. His pokemon gathered around him, but they all felt their trainer's purpose, and they spoke little.

The group marched, with little need of breaks or rest; Dan knew how to keep himself to a good rhythm, and each of his pokemon were capable of meeting the pace he set. They stopped only once, for a brief lunch; Missy munched pokemon food out of a bowl as usual.

_I've gotten so used to this, and before I hated the fact that I ate this way…_ she thought as she wolfed down her sustenance. _But…if whatever Rico planned really does send us home, I'll be back to normal. I'll be able to eat food like a person again…_

It was a thing most people took for granted, Missy thought, eating food with utensils, or even simply with their hands. But that wouldn't be the only thing that changed. If she returned to normal, she'd be able to speak to other humans again and communicate with them. What would she say to Dan? How would he react, that she had been alongside him as Storm the Eevee all this time? Other things would change, too. She'd be able to feel the wind and rain on her skin without fur insulating her. And…and, she'd be less agile, and more vulnerable than she was now, and she'd heal much more slowly. Realization struck her; if she turned back to normal, she'd almost certainly lose the ability to talk to and understand Ruby, and Nemo, and all the other pokemon. She had never realized that until now. It made her want to cry.

Even then, though, she knew that she still wanted to be back to normal. She wanted it more than anything. As the group finished lunch and set out again, Missy felt excitement rising within her. To think that she really, truly might return home, might be herself again…! It was almost too much to bear.

As the afternoon wore on, a strange thing happened. The sunlight almost seemed to fade. A forlorn, chill wind blew over the ground, and Missy swore she smelt sadness on the breeze. Morose grey clouds blanketed the sky, and a depressing drizzle began showering the party. Missy, despite her fur coat, began feeling cold, but that was not what made her start shivering. There was simply a sad, almost lonely feeling to the air; the other pokemon were affected as well. As afternoon turned to evening, the party reached the top of a hill, and Missy saw what she somehow knew to be their destination.

A few miles away, a despondent little town sat in the shadow of nearby mountains, blanketed by rain. Small lights blinked through the dusk, and Missy, with her excellent Eevee vision, saw people walking the streets, their heads ducked. Even from afar, they gave off a feeling of dejectedness. At the edge of town, a tall, ominous tower rose, silhouetted against the sky and the mountains.

"Here we are, gang," Dan said, after a moment. "That's our destination. Lavender Town."


	18. Chapter 18

AUTHOR'S NOTE – Well, here it is! The newest chapter! By the way, I'd really like to see some reviews. They don't even need to be glowing with praise or anything; if you have (constructive) criticism to offer, then offer it!

---

Three days they had been in Lavender Town, and for those three days the drizzle had never let up, nor had the sun dared to poke out from behind the iron ceiling of clouds. Missy had never been more thoroughly soaked in her entire life.

The group had arrived in Lavender as planned; Dan had rented out a room in a squalid local motel (to be fair, _all _the local inns and motels seemed to be squalid) with the intention of ascending Pokemon Tower the following day; whatever he had planned in town, it involved that tower. However, Dan spent that first night mostly out and about in the rain, and as any idiot could have predicted, the following morning he was bundled in bed, shivering, with a feverish red face and a raspy voice. He was stuck in bed, sick.

The rest of Dan's team more or less decided to wait out their trainer's sickness in the relative comfort of their poke balls; Missy, remembering that terrible abyss that tantalized her with far-off images, had no such solace. She had tried to keep Dan company in his room, but the brown-haired boy was having none of it. "If you're not going to get in your poke ball, Storm," he had told her in a wheezy voice punctuated by coughs, "at least don't stay in here. I don't want you to get sick like I am." Unfortunately, the motel owner—a tall, thin, and filthy-looking man with a permanent sneer on his face—was unappreciative of pokemon wandering about his building without their trainers, and kicked her out.

Now, Missy squatted morosely on the ground, trying to seek solace beneath a large tree in the local cemetery. She would normally have avoided such a place, but the entire town felt like a cemetery; with Pokemon Tower looming overhead, and rain the de facto weather, the whole burg reeked of doom and gloom. That was the other reason why Missy eventually settled in the cemetery; people rarely came there, and she could avoid seeing so many morose, crestfallen faces.

She shivered. Missy was cold even despite her fur; she had finally found a large tree to curl beneath, shielding her from the weather, and she had stayed there for several hours. She was simply miserable. But, at least her fur was dry.

Curling against the knotted tree roots, Missy tried willing herself to fall into sleep, but her eyes had barely been closed one minute before a familiar voice reached to her through the gloom.

"Missy! Hey, Missy, eh! You here?"

"Armor?" She called out. "Is that you?"

"Missy! It's you, eh!" The Muk slithered around a large tombstone with a grin on his purple face. "Where'd you get to?! Mister Dan was worried sick!"

"Sorry," she said. "The motel owner kicked me out."

Armor's face darkened. "I know," he said, "Mister Dan was furious when the owner told him what he did. He demanded his money back and when the guy wouldn't give it to him, Mister Dan punched him in the face and threw him over his own counter." Armor grinned. "I've never been so proud of him in my whole life. Come on, he split up the group so that we could all search the town. We're supposed to meet up at the big fountain in twenty minutes."

When Armor turned up with Missy, the whole team was ecstatic, but none more so than Dan. Sweeping Missy up into his arms and hugging her tightly (Missy's stomach fluttered), Dan spouted words quicker than Missy thought he ever had.

"Oh, Storm, you're back, we were all so worried! What were you thinking, running away like that? Even if that horrible motel man kicked you out, you could have snuck back in, or stayed as close to the building as possible, or something! But at least you're all right. Hmph. That sleaze; he just sort of casually mentioned throwing you out when I asked, and I got super angry and demanded he give us back our fare and help us look for you. Not only did he refuse, but he even called you a 'slinking rat'! Well, I flipped, then. Next thing I knew, the guy was on the floor on the other side of his reception counter with a bloody nose." Dan shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe I overdid it a little, but hey, you don't treat somebody else's pokemon like that."

"Oh, Storm," he said suddenly, "you're freezing!" Missy was indeed shivering; she hadn't realized how cold she had been until Dan had pressed her against his warm body. "I know we were supposed to climb the Tower the day after we got here, but my sickness messed things up a little, didn't it? Well, one more day won't hurt. We can spend the night warming you up."

Dan found a tiny little lodge at the edge of town, run by a half-blind old woman who didn't look as sleazy or shifty as the rest of the town.

"By the way, young man," she said, handing Dan his key, "I allow pokemon in my inn…so long as they stay in their poke balls. Keep them in, if you wouldn't mind."

Dan's face darkened, but only for a moment. "Sure thing, ma'am," he said smoothly. "Would you mind if I recalled them in my room? I don't want to cause a scene here at the reception desk."

The old woman blinked and appeared to grapple inwardly to grasp any semblance of logic in that statement. Eventually, senility won out, and she shooed him away vaguely. When Dan and his team entered the room, he quickly shut the door behind him and locked it securely. "You'll all stay out," he said with a sly grin. "What that old hag doesn't know won't hurt her. Ruby, light the fireplace."

The Ponyta obliged. Dan quickly set down a thick rug on the floor near the fire, and Missy crawled onto it. It felt so warm.

"Get better, Storm." Dan smiled. "All of you, listen—tomorrow, we climb Pokemon Tower. Get plenty of rest."

---

That evening, as everyone else slept, Nightshade gazed out of the window. Pokemon Tower was silhouetted, ominous, in the distance. "The Tower of the Dead…" he mused. Behind him, the fire crackled lowly, near down to embers. Missy was still curled up on the floor. He heard another sound; one of his fellow pokemon stirred behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was; the sound of hooves clipping over the floorboards announced it sure enough.

"Evening, Ruby," he murmured as she came to a stop behind him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nightshade," she acknowledged. "Missy is more or less the leader of our little group—" she didn't sound bitter, Nightshade had to give her that. Ruby had apparently warmed up to the little human trapped in a pokemon's body. "—but you and I are the most…how to say this…_mature_ pokemon belonging to Sir Dan. It's only natural that I seek you out to discuss our adventure tomorrow."

"Trainers are trainers," Nightshade murmured again. "He gave us the opportunity to back out, remember? We all turned him down. There is nothing to discuss."

"We didn't know he planned to take us…there." Ruby sounded as though she was wearing a grimace. "It's true humans have no inkling of what really lurks there, and he can't be blamed, but…aren't you worried? That is not a benign place."

"Pokemon have entered and exited soundly before," Nightshade said. "We must trust the same shall happen to us." Ruby grunted. "I'm more worried about how exactly he thinks that place will send him home. A way to cross dimensions in the Tower of the Dead? That does not bode well."

"What about Missy? I'm more worried about her;" Ruby said. "In the likely event that the Tower can't send us to Dan's world, or even if it doesn't operate as intended…she'll be crushed. Have you noticed her? She tries to hide it, but her hopes are higher than they have ever been. She is positively giddy."

"We'll have to help her through it as best we can. She's gotten stronger, more willful; but she needs friends. I mean this truthfully, Ruby, when I say that I think Missy saw the last of her human body a long, long time ago."

"I agree," Ruby whispered sadly.

"Missy will despair when she realizes she will be an Eevee forever. She'll need our help to pull through this." Suddenly, Nightshade chuckled. "Listen to us, discussing this as though we can really have an impact. We _are_ going to climb that Tower tomorrow, no matter how frightened we are or what we think it hides. And whether or not Missy changes back…we will have to deal with it when the time comes. Whatever will be, will be. Go back to bed, Ruby."

The Ponyta obliged. Nightshade still sat, watching out the window. _Whatever will be…_

---

The following morning, Dan and his team left the lodge. Dan left more money than necessary with the old lady to pay for their room; he sheepishly explained to his party that he felt bad about tricking her and leaving the group out of their poke balls.

"But, really," he said, "it's not like I'll have any use for this world's money when we get home. I think it was best." He stared up at the sky. The rain had cleared, and a tiny bit of sun poked its way from behind the clouds. "So, it finally stopped raining?" He chuckled. "That's a good omen, right guys?"

Soon, they were at the entry to the Tower. Dan stared up at it resolutely. "This is it," he whispered. "The path home."

His pokemon were not nearly so resolute. Missy shivered; she felt apprehensive, and afraid. She was not alone; all the pokemon looked uneasy. "What's wrong with this place?" She whispered. "What is it?"

"Humans call this place Pokemon Tower," Ruby said. "We call it the Tower of the Dead. It was built by the ancient civilization that lived in the Kanto region long ago, to serve as a gravesite for pokemon. It's a pillar notorious for hauntings." Missy was suddenly, painfully aware of her heartbeat.

"Will we be alright?" She whispered. She had just gotten over her recent nightmares, but she again saw the vision of Dan, and her friends, lying there dead…

"Certainly," Ruby said in a voice that was almost convincing. Almost. "I mean, sure it's a graveyard, but the only thing you really have to worry about is that old legend that says…ah…" Ruby got a strained look on her face, like she had said more than she meant to.

"Legend?" Nemo piped up nervously. "What sort of legend?"

"Nothing," Nightshade said smoothly. He sounded assuring; odd, for him. "It's a silly old myth. I'll tell you later, after we're out of here, so we can have a laugh over how silly it is. Telling it to you here would only psyche you out, of course, but it's not real. Just a ghost story."

Nemo didn't look very reassured, and Missy didn't feel better either. _I'd rather not head up there…_ She thought. _But, Dan's so confident that that'll be our way home. I'm willing to take that chance if it'll send me back to where I can be a human again._

She forced her fear down. Deep down. "Well, I'm going regardless of the ghosts or whatever it is in there," she said. "That's my ticket home and I'm taking it."

"We weren't planning on abandoning you, Missy," Nightshade said flatly. "We all choose to stick with our trainer, remember?"

The rest of the group nodded vigorously. Missy smiled. "Thanks, gang."

Dan led his pokemon into the Tower. The first floor was mostly empty, save for a few uncanny looking women with messy hair and blank stares. They seemed to be gazing unblinkingly at the group. Missy eyed them back warily.

"I visited here once, briefly, with Sir Blaine." Ruby's hooves made echoing sounds throughout the nearly silent hall. "Those people are called 'channelers'; they are the guardians and caretakers of this tower. My old master said they were out of touch with reality."

"New visitors today," one of the channelers intoned. Dan and co. stopped. The other channelers responded solemnly.

"A place of this sort always receives new visitors…We mark their resting places with stoic tones…"

"I hope the lad exercises caution…this is not a place to tread by a whim…"

"Come on," Dan muttered to his pokemon. Missy thought he sounded shaken. He resumed walking, faster than he had before, and soon was stepping quickly up the staircase to the second level.

"Well," Dan said with obviously faked cheer, "it doesn't seem so bad up here!"

Missy had to disagree. Sure, there were no creepy old women up here, but what took their place were headstones. Rows and rows of headstones. Hundreds; and that may very well have been a conservative estimate.

Missy shivered again. _This is only the first level. How many pokemon are entombed here?_ Another thought stuck her. _We're in a tower; how exactly are the…bodies…buried, then?_ She shook her mind, forcing the mental picture out of her head before it had room to grow. _No, mustn't think about it. Don't dwell on it_.

They wandered between rows and rows of tombs, which made an eerie maze. Dan seemed unperturbed, perhaps feeling the emptiness was calming. His pokemon disagreed. Even Ruby seemed to be cowed. There was sorrow and pain in the air, and even the walls seemed to weep.

"Th-this place…" Nemo said; he only reverted back to his old manner of speech when he was frightened. "It scares me."

Missy nodded. She thought so too. They eventually moved up another level; this too was empty, save for a single grieving girl dressed all in black. She stared glumly at a small, unpretentious headstone, tears running down her face. Dan walked past her without a word.

As they ascended the flights to the next floor, Missy suddenly felt a chill down her spine, like a cold breath was brushing her neck. _Child…_ She spun dizzily. A strange voice rang in her ears. _You are not of this world, child…_ She snapped back fearfully. She looked around in panic, but there was nothing to be seen.

Ahead of her, the voice of Armor called out to her. "Eh? Missy, keep up! You don't want to get left behind, eh?"

She raced up to the group. They were taking a break, Dan sipping from a water bottle while studying the tower around them.

"Sorry, guys," she breathed, "but I heard…er…this weird voice." She stared at them, knowing how foolish it sounded. "I swear, guys, I'm not making this up."

"This Tower is haunted by Ghost-type pokemon like Gastly or Gengar;" Nightshade said slowly. "Those are not true ghosts, but simply pokemon who possess stereotypical qualities man associates with spirits; intangibility, the power to invade dreams. They are not actually spirits of the departed. But…some pokemon have witnessed strange shadows writhing in the deepest recesses of the Tower. Shadows with pokemon eyes that call out in mournful voices…true ghosts…"

"You think they're what spoke to me?" Missy whispered fearfully.

"Perhaps," Nightshade responded.

The next level was blanketed with a strange fog. As they pushed their way slowly through the labyrinth of tombs, they passed a single channeler who wandered past, babbling to herself, without noticing the group.

When they located the stairs to the next exit, Missy saw movement out of the corner of her eye. At first she tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a trick of the mind, until Artemis shrieked out.

"_**IS**_THAT—"

"True ghosts," whispered Nightshade; it was the first time Missy had ever heard him sound afraid. There were indeed a handful of mournful shadows moving through the mist. The pokemon sunk back as one.

"Why isn't Mister Dan freaking out, eh?!" Armor said in a panicky voice.

"Th-they're pokemon ghosts," Ruby breathed. "It must be that humans can't see or hear them."

They hurried up the next set of stairs. At the top, they were greeted by more fog—and more writhing shadows. Armor let out a low moan.

"I don't understand," Nightshade breathed. "From what I've heard, there were only a handful of ghost sightings. Why are we seeing so many?!"

"Something must be agitating them," Ruby replied quickly; too quickly. She sounded more than a little hysterical. "Something else! Something—"

She didn't get a chance to finish. Dan interrupted her. "Hey! Come on, gang, what's so worrisome? It's just some old carved rocks and a light mist. We'll be fine! Let's go!"

As Missy and the rest of the group followed, the strange voice addressed her head again. _Mournful one…what you seek may come at a cost you cannot begin to imagine…_

She spun around and saw, silhouetted against a massive stone pillar, a shadow. The sort of shadow a person or a thing cast against the ground—but there was nothing casting it. It was different from the wraiths that were the pokemon ghosts; it was even more frightening, somehow, yet strangely enticing. As Missy stared at it, it moved.

She leapt back, yelping. "_Guys, guys, guys!_ Look at that! There's a big shadow on the wall, and it talked to me!"

When none of the pokemon responded, Missy forced herself to look away. They were all staring at her blankly. Finally, Nemo gently addressed her. "Missy…maybe, um, the fear's getting to you. Th-there's nothing there…"

Missy spun around. The pillar was blank. Her ears fell flat against her head, her tail deep between her legs. "But—but—" she whispered.

"Hey-guys-Dan-is-getting-ahead-we-should-try-to-keep-up!" Artemis sped off, and the rest followed.

They eventually reached the stairs in that level, but suddenly, something caught the corner of Missy's eye. She spun; the fearsome shadow was there again. She stood, riveted, as it addressed her mind once more. _Child…Missy…_

Her mind spun in shock. Amazement drowned out fear. "Wait! How do you know my name? What are you?!"

The shadow drifted off through the thickening mist. Missy raced after it, the shocked cries of her group fading behind her. The shadow led her in a strange dance down misty paths that didn't seem to exist; through gruesome tombstones etched from nightmare, and cold stone that seemed desperate to impede her progress. It slithered into a crack between two headstones, and Missy wriggled through after it, mindlessly driven. Eventually, after running in circles for what seemed like hours, she collapsed, panting.

It was then she noticed that while there was certainly plenty of mist around, there were not headstones, or walls, or even a visible floor. All was mist.

"Hello?" She ventured timidly. Her voice echoed pathetically through the fog. "Where am I…?"

She was no longer in Pokemon Tower. She was in a land of mist…


	19. Chapter 19

Missy fearfully walked through the mist, her paws seemingly padding on nothing. Her ears were pressed flat against her head; she could feel her heartbeat throbbing painfully in the scar she had received beneath Saffron.

"H—Hello?" She whispered. There was no answer. She still tentatively wandered through the plane, glancing this way and that with worry. "Anyone…there?"

_Yes._

Missy nearly leaped out of her skin, letting out a short yelp.

"Wh—Who are you? Where are you?" She said, a little louder this time. She felt herself tensing, and realized she had been preparing for battle unconsciously; she forced herself to loosen up. Whatever was out there, it was unlikely an Eevee would be any good against it, and she didn't want to antagonize it.

_Move forward. You shall arrive soon enough. Do you spy the pinpoint of darkness in the mist? Go towards the dark._

Missy took a few slow steps forward, squinting. There…if she looked hard enough, there was a hint of shadow in the concealing mist, a blackness that penetrated the fog. Gulping, she slowly headed towards it.

The shadow got bigger the more she moved; it was twice the size of Dan when the ethereal voice rang out once again.

_Stop. That is enough. _ She stopped, and stared at the massive shadow. She got the feeling that it was looking at her.

_Welcome, child…welcome…Missy…_

---

"MISSY-where-are-you-please-come-back-this-is-not-funny!" Artemis called out quickly. The Electabuzz's face was contorted with worry. Missy had just run off after randomly yelling, and they had lost track of her very quickly. They decided to split up to try and find her, but so far the search was not going well.

The other pokemon branched out across the floor, dodging between tombstones and looking around worriedly. Artemis walked around a corner and saw Ruby staring down a pair of viciously grinning Haunter.

"I asked you _nicely_," Ruby growled. "I won't be so cordial again. You said you saw her. Where did she go?!"

"Ruby! Ruby! What's-going-on—" Artemis exclaimed, running up to her comrade.

"Artemis," Ruby said, cutting the Electric-type off. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can help me bully some sense into these lunatics. They saw Missy, or so they say, but whenever I ask them where she went they just start laughing."

Artemis contorted her face into a frown. "Well-I-bet-even-Ghost-types-aren't-too-fond-of-lightning-bolts!" She began charging up energy between the nodes on her head.

One of the Haunter gave a start and floated off, but the other simply stood his ground, chortling madly. "A brawl in this sacred place?" He whispered the words slowly, with malice. "Be careful; if you show no respect to the dead, they will respond in kind."

Ruby's face paled, and Artemis slowly let the electricity fall away. The Haunter grinned even wider.

"That's much better. Now then…the silvery little Eevee. Yes, we saw her sure as day itself. We also saw where she went." He bent in closely and spoke in a low voice, so that they had to strain to hear. "She went into the mist."

"'The mist?' That's damn well useless! This whole stupid Tower is covered in the stuff!" Ruby shot at him with venom.

The Haunter shook his head, tsking, as one would to a naughty child. "Not that mist. That mist leads to a…different mist, if you will. Endless mist. Never been there myself; never want to. That's where Mr. Shadow lives."

"Mr. Shadow?" Ruby said. Artemis thought she sounded incredulous…and, yet, worried.

"Just a nickname we Ghost-type pokemon have given to it. Believe me, the moniker doesn't do the thing justice. But when it shows up, the mist comes too, and the true ghosts get agitated…This time, it arrived not long after you did. Seemed to take an interest in that Eevee. Yes, I saw her run off into the mist…and Mr. Shadow was leading her."

"Ruby," Artemis said after a pause. Her voice was shaking, and she spoke slowly—which, for her, meant speaking at the pace everyone else did. "D'you think that might have been what Missy was talking about? When she said a strange voice was talking to her?"

Ruby gave a slow, pained nod while the Haunter cackled. "Oh, Mr. Shadow actually spoke to her?! That's never happened before! How _delicious!_" He broke off into more cackling.

"Artemis," Ruby said quickly, "we've got to get back and tell the others. We can go together, find some way into this mist place, rescue—"

"Go into the mist?!" The Haunter interrupted viciously. "That's a sure way to never get in! Nobody ever goes into the mist on purpose, no matter how hard or often they try! The only way in is by accident, or with the help of Mr. Shadow."

"No," Ruby breathed. "That can't be. You're lying." The Ghost-type just grinned wider than ever.

"Wait," Artemis said, "if-nobody's-ever-been-there-on-purpose-then-the-only-way-you-could-know-so-much-about-it-is-if-somebody-came-back!"

The Haunter nodded. "You're correct, my motor-mouthed little friend. But I wouldn't bank on it. It's not known to happen often." He cackled maliciously, fading away; his voice rang in a mocking echo. "So sorry about your loss."

The two pokemon stood there for a moment before Ruby began brusquely issuing orders. "I still say we head back. Inform the others. Then we search. We can't give up on her; not when we're so close. Not yet. She's got to be here somewhere."

Artemis nodded. They couldn't give up. Not until their team was whole again.

---

"What are you?" Missy asked. "How do you know my name?"

_What am I? A decent question, child. Let us just say am neither human nor pokemon, and leave the answer there. For your name, I simply know it._

"That makes no sense," Missy accused.

_Many things in these worlds do not make sense. I am one of them. I simply am, and I simply know. That is the truth, and that is all the answer anyone shall ever receive._

Missy stared up at the pillar of shadow. It was the most frightening thing she had ever seen in her entire life…yet, somehow, it felt strangely calming at the same time. The being was right: it did not make sense.

"You're the one who led me here aren't you? That talking shadow I saw in the Tower." It didn't respond; she took that as an agreement. "Why did you bring me here? What do you want with me?"

_You interested me,_ it said. _I've been watching you for a while. You are highly unique, child; a girl, lost between the worlds, trapped in another form? I wanted to see the twists and turns your life would take._

_Yes, I know of the myriad worlds,_ the darkness said, noticing the shocked look on her face. _I've been to them all…touched them all, in my own way. And here you are, at the end of your journey, ready to throw yourself into the abyss to return to your world and your body. When I saw you enter the Tower—my domain—I could not continue hiding myself._

The shadow resumed silence.

"What—" Missy stopped. It had already demonstrated it would not tell her what it was. "How—" She stopped again.

"I'd like to go back," she said, finally.

_Perhaps you shall_, the shadow said, _and perhaps not. It is not up to me. Tell me, stormy one, what shall you do should you return to the world of your birth still in the form you are in? What then? Where will your mourning take you?_

"I…don't know. It would be too terrible to bear," Missy said morosely. "When…no, if that happens, I'll deal with it when the time comes.

"…listen, shadow creature or whatever you are," she continued, "you're very creepy, but don't seem to be…what's the word…um, hostile? So, if you've been to so many different worlds, then maybe you know whether or not that _will_ turn me back to normal? Or whether there's another way that might work?"

I_t is true I grasp every world in my own manner,_ the pillar of blackness told her; it almost sounded amused. _But, asides from myself, I know of few constants. The journey back home might change you; it might not. There are other methods I have seen that might work; or, they might do nothing, or leave you trapped in your furred form forever. There are few constants. Only me._

…_Though, one seems to work more often than not. There are legends and fairy tales in your world about people cursed into different forms, are there not? Depending on the tale, some revert to normal when kissing a princess, or by a witch's mystical pendant. Others spend their whole lives changed. Of these, I recall the Greek tales of both Caeneus and Cadmus, who were transformed. They both returned to their birth forms…_

…_upon their death._

Missy's heartbeat became painful once again. "What did you say?"

_I think you might return to normal should you approach death._

Missy tried to stop shaking. "I think…I…That's not very encouraging."

_Indeed,_ the darkness said, in a voice that might almost have been wistful, _Few find death encouraging._

"I'll have to find another method than that, then," she said.

_Perhaps…perhaps…If you do not appreciate my knowledge, perhaps here is something more concrete for you. The path home you seek does lie in the top of my Tower. The top floor is riddled with ancient treasures from a long-dead civilization of this world. In one unassuming room, you will find a unique arch; you'll know it when you see it. Have your fiery friend set it alight; then, it can be used to bridge the gap between worlds._

"Really?!" Missy exclaimed excitedly. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She made as though to step towards the darkness, but its voice suddenly grew terrible, and fear erupted in her heart again.

_**DO NOT COME CLOSER.**_ Missy shrunk back, fearfully.

_That's better_, the pillar of night said, its voice level again. _Our exchange is over; I must send you back._

"But," Missy, still frightened from its previous outburst, said in a quivering voice, "I thought you said my return would be up to me?"

_It was, child. And is. Do not try to understand; as I said, many things in these worlds make no sense, and I am one of them._

Suddenly the mist was gone, and Missy was falling through infinite blackness. Above, she saw the pillar, and with other blackness to compare it to, realized it was more dark than she had given it credit for. It was night itself, blacker than the shadow around it, and however she fell, it did not seem to change in size, but rather grew to consume all other darkness.

_One more thing,_ the eerie voice said one last time. Now it sounded blunted, more distant. _Green represents your world. Try to remember that._

As she fell endlessly, Missy felt her mind waver; she was falling into unconsciousness. Soon, only the ultimate blackness of the shadowy pillar remained in her wavering vision.

"What…" she whispered sleepily, "what are you…?"

As her eyes closed, she glimpsed the blackness separating, forming a dread cloak around a pale, white, grinning skeleton holding a wicked scythe…

---

Missy woke up with a start. She shivered. That had been a horrible dream. She tried to rise and stretch, but nearly fell; she had not been sleeping on the ground, but in the outstretched arms of a statue. A glimpse from her peripheral vision registered myriad stone wings.

_An angel,_ She thought bemusedly. _Nowhere better to fall asleep in a haunted tower than someplace where you have a guardian angel._

As she leapt down and turned to face the statue, her breath caught.

The statue was of a smiling, warm-faced woman in lustrous robes with glorious feathered wings stretching forth an inviting hand…on the right side. On the left, the face was a twisted skull, its clothes were tatters of dark marble, its wings were rotting and decayed, and the hand—the one Missy had cradled her head in—was cruel, skeletal bone.

Missy shivered. "An angel of death," she whispered to herself. Perhaps not the choicest place to sleep after all. She looked around; she was certain she was back in Pokemon Tower, as she saw rows and rows of headstones. The mist was gone; so were the writhing shadows that Nightshade had suspected to be the ghosts of pokemon.

_True ghosts…_ Missy thought. _Was that what that thing was?_ She thought back to that pillar of darkness, and shuddered. _No. That…being…was not aggressive, in fact it was almost cordial, but…I felt such a wave of fear and pain coming from it that I…No! That was just a __**dream**__, Missy. Just a dream. You just got too scared when climbing the Tower, and got paranoid and chased something that wasn't there, and then got lost and eventually fell asleep in a…very creepy statue._

She shook her head. Well, whatever had happened, she was here now, and it was time to find her friends. She wandered through the mazes of tombs looking for the stairs leading upwards, trying not to let the fact that she was wandering alone through a graveyard get to her. She ran into what appeared to be dead ends several times, boxed in by tombstones, but eventually reached a staircase that led to the floor below.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "I suppose that I'll just have to reach the opposite wall. I suppose now I know which way not to go."

As she turned, her sensitive Eevee ears picked up the sound of a pokemon conversation down below. She normally wouldn't have given it any thought—there _were_ wild pokemon here just like everywhere else, after all—but she distinctly heard one of the sentences end with "eh".

"No way," Missy whispered, before bounding down the stairs as quickly as she could muster. "Armor! Armor!" She reached the floor below and heard shouting to her left. She raced down a corridor of tombstones, and turned a corner to run right into the Muk himself!

"Missy!" He boomed in his deep basso voice. "We found you, eh! You need to stop running off like that! You're gonna give us all heart attacks!" He wasn't alone: Nemo was with him.

"Missy! You're really all right!" The Seadra said, beaming. "What happened, where did you go?"

"Oh, I thought I saw something and I ran off into the mist," she said. "I must have gotten lost, and I eventually fell asleep in the arms of a statue."

"Well, you must have been really, really lost," Nemo said confusedly, "because how else could you get three floors higher than you had originally been, especially when you ran off in the direction of the stairs leading down?"

"What?" Missy said. "I'm higher than when I started?"

"Yeah," Armor replied. "This is two floors above where you first ran off, and since you came from the floor above this one…well, eh, Mister Dan and the rest of us searched the whole building from where you first ran off clear down to the bottom floor. The channelers—those ladies are weird, eh!—said they hadn't noticed a gray Eevee, so Mister Dan didn't think you had left the building, and he sent us out to comb the upper levels for you; guess he figured you must have slipped past us to the upstairs, eh? And looks like he was right!"

"We should be getting back to the rendezvous point," Nemo said. "It's almost time." The trio of pokemon headed back down to where Missy had separated from the group. Ruby and Artemis were already there.

"OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-IT'S-MISSY-IT'S-REALLY-MISSY-SHE'S-ALL-RIGHT!!!" Artemis squealed loudly; the hyper Electabuzz raced over and caught Missy in a sweeping hug. "You-really-need-to-stop-running-away-all-the-time-you-hear?"

"Heh," Missy said around mouthfuls of yellow fur, "I missed you too, Artemis."

"We were worried, little girl," Ruby said once Artemis finally let Missy go. "You care to explain what exactly made you run off like an idiot?"

Missy shifted uncomfortably, but took the verbal reprimand. She had acted stupidly, after all. "Oh, I thought I, er, saw something, so I ran off, and got lost in the mist, and, um, fell asleep."

Ruby let out an exasperated, and yet relieved, bleat. "I _knew_ that Haunter was a liar! The way he told it, you had been led off to some mist place by a monster called Mr. Shadow."

Missy blinked. Remembrance of the dream flashed through her head. "Well, I'm here now, anyways," she said. Any further conversation was cut off by a sudden cry.

"STORM!" Missy made an about-face; Dan was racing down towards the group, Nightshade at his heels.

When he reached down, the brunette teen knelt and smiled down at the gray-furred Eevee. "Of all the places to get lost in, you had to pick here, Storm? I'm not letting you all out of my sight from now on. Come on," he said, offering his shoulder to her, "I know you've already turned me down once, but how about it this time?"

Missy contemplated for a brief moment before hopping up. Dan straightened, and she felt precarious for the smallest of seconds, but as he began walking, she got used to it and balanced easily. The rest of the pokemon followed behind. They didn't say anything, but Missy caught look of their faces: Armor was wearing a big goofy grin, Artemis and Nemo were positively beaming, Ruby wore a small smile of approval, and even Nightshade had upgraded to a tiny smirk.

Missy felt her face warming up; but her crush on Dan was no secret, so why should she care what they thought? She nuzzled against his cheek.

"Heh, thanks, Storm," he said. "Just you wait till we get back to my homeworld. I can't wait to introduce you and all the rest to my family. It'll be crazy! You'll love them, Storm. God, it's been forever since I've seen them.

"…It's been a while since I've met you, hasn't it? Remember? I woke up and you and Armor were fighting. You followed Blaine and I back to his mansion even though you had no reason to. You were so moody back then; you even bit me, do you remember?" Missy did remember. She had grappled for so long trying to decide whether that action, and others, were a mark of Eevee instincts taking over, or whether they were just dark traits she had always had, brought to the surface during her trials. Deep down, she suspected the latter.

"Heh, if you look close, you can still see the tiny scars." Dan continued speaking as they wandered through the upper levels of the tower. Without the mist and the wayward spirits, it seemed almost…peaceful. "You stayed with me, but you wouldn't let me catch you. Hell, you wouldn't even let me train you at first. We went to Celadon and we had your first battle against Erika's Bellsprout; you won, of course, even though I hardly gave you any instructions. Then we were separated when I decided to give in to my stupidity and invade the Rocket base. God, I was scared for you. I was scared for all of you. Then we battled Rico and somehow we won! I remember when you took down Tower, I was so, so proud." Missy had been less than proud. She remembered that fight through a red veil of rage. She had attacked the Graveler with a viciousness approaching bloodlust.

"But Rico caught you. Oh, God, it hurts even now remembering that. I wanted to scream. We pulled through thanks to Nemo—who knew he had it in him!—and I took you back from Rico. I even broke his nose."

Dan shook his head once more. "That's when we invaded Saffron with Suzanne and Erika, remember? We found out Rico's identity as a double agent, and got separated. Giovanni got the jump on us and made us fight for our freedom, remember? But we won! Thanks to you! Oh, I remember watching you in that last fight, sure you were going to die, sure that I was going to die, and Erika, and all us civilians. That's how you got that wound, isn't it," he mused, briefly touching her scarred ear, "defending us. Even when Giovanni betrayed us, you stuck around and protected me till we were separated.

"Then, when we all recuperated, we headed to Viridian. That's where we found Giovanni's body. That shook us all up a bit. Don't tell anyone else, Storm, but…I had nightmares. Then Blaine talked some sense into me and…here we are.

"You know, Storm, I'm really…really grateful for you. For all my pokemon, but you especially. You were in a way the first pokemon I really connected with—I was rooting for you back in your battle against Armor, remember?—and even though you acted like you hated me at first, we've really grown to be close partners. I'm proud, Storm."

Missy realized she was smiling, but also crying. He was proud of her—as his partner, as his pokemon. But pride wasn't good enough. She loved him. Oh, God, she loved him. And he didn't know. She sniffed, and tried to stop. No use crying now. Not when they were so close. So close to home.

Dan ascended the final flight of stairs, and Missy abruptly gasped. The top floor was the most wondrous thing she had ever seen.

There were no tombstones anywhere. The floor was dark marble, and the windows tall, magnificent stained glass. Stone pillers were carved with twisting, fantastic designs.

"Wow…" Missy breathed. She leapt off of Dan's shoulder and tentatively pawed her way across the cold floor. The others were similarly awed.

"This place really was built by those who carved that coliseum," Nightshade was saying. His voice was pure awe. "I'd always known that, it's just…I never thought to see something like this in the Tower of the Dead."

The magnificence was lost on Dan. "Pretty sights, gang," he said. "But remember: spread out and look for anything suspicious." The pokemon fanned outwards.

That first room, it turned out, was just a foyer for the others, which were even grander. Missy wandered awestruck through one room made entirely of crystal. She passed through another where the walls displayed a wonderfully painted picture of a youthful child in ancient garb, playing with two pokemon while his smiling parents looked on. The next was made entirely of black marble, with small gemstones stuck in the rounded ceiling to imitate stars. They made up constellations which would never have been found in Missy's world. In another chamber, she found Ruby staring at a massive tree made of stone. Despite being carved from rock, it somehow gave off a soft, alluring scent.

"I could live here," Ruby breathed; she sounded not quite herself. "This perfume alone could sustain me." Missy shook her head with amusement and walked on.

In the next room, she stopped dead. The next chamber was small, and the walls and pillars and ceiling were plain, unlike the others. And yet, that made it seem more important, somehow. In the center of the room was a stone arch.

It was massive, half again as tall as a human man and wide enough to fit a very large person. It was simple, unassuming stone, but it was carved to look like there were thorny branches spiraling around it.

Missy's heart leapt. This was it. _In one unassuming room, you will find a unique arch; you'll know it when you see it. No, that was a dream. It had to have been a dream!_

Still, she had to at least try. "Ruby," she called out. "Ruby! Come here!"

The Ponyta wandered in, looking irritable. "What, what is it, little girl? I was really enjoying that room with the scented tree."

"I want you to—" _What was it again?_ "—what I mean is, could you use your fire on this thing?"

Ruby snorted. "We're here to find a way home for you, not destroy ancient artifacts. Take your pyromania somewhere else."

"No, please, I just…I have this feeling. The arch'll be fine. Please, this could be it!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, but just a little bit." She shot a small burst of fire at the arch. "There, happ—" She stopped. The stonework of the arch absorbed her flame, and where it has soaked up the fire, the stone glowed for a bit. A tiny carved rose bloomed among the stone vines.

The two pokemon were silent for several seconds. "…Whoa." Ruby said, breaking the silence. She tentatively put forth more fire, a larger amount this time; as before, the flame was gobbled up by the glowing stone, and more roses opened themselves amongst the stony thorns.

Ruby kept at it. Eventually, the roses drowned out the thorns, and the whole archway glowed—and it did not stop glowing. The air inside the arch suddenly shimmered.

Ruby took an involuntary half-step back. Missy stared.

"This is it," she shouted. "This is it! Guys! Guys! Come here, come here, quick!"

Her cries ("Vee! Eevee! Vee, Vee!") reverberated throughout the ancient chambers. Everyone else rushed into the room. They all stared.

"You've done it Storm," Dan congratulated. "You've done it! This is the way home! Well, everyone, we don't know what will happened when we go through that arch, so I guess it's back to your poke ba—"

"**ELECTABUZZ!**"

"Muk muk muk!"

"_Nyta_."

"Seadra? Seadra Seadra, Seadra!"

"_**Vee**_, Eevee."

The pokemon all raised a cacophony, except for Nightshade, who just glared. Dan backed down, his hands up defensively.

"Jeez, guys, I'll let you come through personally, calm down." Dan steeled himself.

"Well…maybe we should hold hands, or paws, or something? No? Well, everyone stay close together." Taking a deep breath in, Dan took a small step forward, halted for just a moment, then walked briskly into the arch, his eyes clenched shut. He vanished once he touched the shimmering air.

Missy raced after him. The others were not far behind.

---

Missy floated in a void filled with thousands of points of light, each a different color than the last. There were more colors than she could have ever thought existed. Colors so wild and vivid they could not be real. Colors she could not name, colors that would never have a name.

Her body felt sluggish, unresponsive. She tried to move; it was hard. She felt half-asleep. Nemo drifted by, his eyes shut, breathing heavily. Armor, out of sight, grumbled something; his voice echoed strangely, his words lost and indiscernible.

Ruby floated past, staring at a point of light intensely; it was a vivid pink. Suddenly, she drew back, shuddering.

_Strange…_ Missy thought bemusedly. She picked a point; its color was gold, somewhat, but also crimson, and with a little bit of shadow and rain mixed in. She stared at it; it seemed to pull her in. To call to her. She thought, if she really wanted to, she could head to that point of light. She willed her sluggish body to move, to head towards the oddly-colored light. She focused on it, and her head was assaulted with images.

A man with red hair and glasses sold his soul. A boy wept over the death of his sister. Thousands died as stones rained from the heavens. A warrior bargained with a brusque-looking woman, who was riding a horse. A great weapon devoured an army in the sky, killing the force of life itself as it did so.

She pulled back, wincing. That was not the world she wanted. She looked again. To another point of light, this one a simple soft blue. She remembered the pain of the sudden assault of the events of a world. And yet…she felt herself compelled…

A great evil slept beneath a mountain, while the nearby town knew not the destruction that waited for it. A sorcerer sought immortality, and broke the very laws of nature in the name of good. A crying girl fought off an attacker, in a forest; the girl was not human. A man forsook his clan and his life, to live with wolves.

She pulled back again. Oh, it _hurt_. She drifted, not daring to fall for the allure of the lights again. Suddenly, she heard a strange crescendo of a whimper. Forcing herself to twist around, she saw Nemo, staring at a light; he did not, and from the looks of things could not, move his eyes from it. He was shaking.

"Nemo?" she said. Her voice was slurred. It didn't sound like itself. "Nemo, look away. Nemo, look away, please. Nemo!" She sobbed, because he didn't hear her. She forced herself to look at his point of light. It was gray and brown, but it also had the color of…music?

A gang member lied to his brother, a decision that would endanger two worlds. A monster lumbered towards a manor. A small fairy died, but then didn't at the same time. A demon feared humans more than anything else in the world. The proper rulers of the earth fled underground, weeping as creatures of mud devoured the world.

She forced herself away. "Nemo, that is not our world." As she watched him, Nemo suddenly began shimmering at the edges. "No! Nemo, no! Stop! She swam uncomfortably through the abyss. More parts of the Seadra began to shimmer. He made pathetic, pleading noises now. "Nemo! NEMO!"

She plowed into him forcing him to cry out in surprise; he blinked, and then hurriedly turned his face away from the point of light, sobbing uncontrollably.

Missy floated through the abyss. Time was nothing here. How long did she do nothing? A second? Ten seconds? A year? Centuries? Forever? She closed her eyes and dreamed; when she opened them, a speck of green was floating lazily by.

Green.

_Green represents your world. Try to remember that_.

Her mind burst through the stifling haze of the place. She remembered what that strange being said. Did she dare? She reached for the point…

A trio of children prayed while a man prowled in their house. A man with a bow shot an apple off a boy's head. A great fleet headed to destroy an island, but was turned aside by a hurricane. Two brothers fought one another, one in blue and one in gray; both were destroyed by cannonfire. A bully wandered home to be beaten by his drunken father. Men died like cattle, covered in horrible black boils.

Missy wanted to pull away, it hurt so bad, but she forced herself to continue.

A man they called 'the Bard' lost his son Hamnet, and years later wrote the greatest play the world had ever seen. A mad artist tore off his own ear. Children played under the sun. A woman was accused of murdering her own baby; an entire country condemned her guilty. A man flew a kite in a storm, hoping lightning would light up the key attached to the string. Dark-skinned islanders threw off one empire in favor of another.

"This is it," she whispered. She felt that it was. The pain was different from the other lights; she _knew_ that pain. There was hope, and love, both familiar, behind the pain as well. "Everyone!" She cried out as best she could, without losing focus of the green light. It seemed nearer, somehow. "This way! This is the world! Follow my voice! Everyone!"

A man with tuberculosis shot an archduke, and the world changed forever. A janitor banged on the door of a bank, and went home to hang himself. An inventor discovered one thousand ways not to make a lightbulb. A flag was planted on the moon. The most feared army in the world refused to fire on its own citizens.

Everyone was crowding around her now, she realized. Everyone was there. Dan looked intent. He could not understand her like the others could. She could only hope he figured it out, and mimicked the pokemon. "Look at the green light," she said before suddenly gasping. Parts of her were starting to shimmer, and that hurt even more than concentrating. "Don't let up, don't let go," she gasped. Speech, the pain, and concentrating on the light were taking their toll on her. "Keep at it—Aaahhhhh!!!!"

A madman banged down doors with an axe. A burly human wearing nothing but a loincloth put a sharp rock at the end of a stick, and became the greatest hunter his tribe had ever seen. High priests carefully embalmed the ruler they had worshipped as a god. A car drove alongside the ocean. A great ship struck an iceberg. Millions died under a red banner displaying a swastika.

Missy's whole body hurt now, and shimmered now. Suddenly the void was not there, and the lights were not there, and her friends were not there. There was only pain, and only for the briefest of moments. She fell unconscious.

---

Dan slowly, painfully stirred. He forced himself up. His whole body was pain incarnate. He had heard the distorted cries of his pokemon, and saw them staring intently at a light; Storm had been looking odd, and the others did too. He had followed their example.

It had hurt; his mind had been assaulted with images and events. Some he knew from history, some looked familiar to him though he could not name them, and some seemed unimportant, a slice of life from one of the billions who had walked, and would walk, this planet.

He stretched, and looked around. It was nighttime. He looked up at the stars, and almost wept: familiar constellations. The wind on his skin was the wind of his childhood. The earth beneath his feet was the greatest thing he had ever known.

"I'm home," he said, and realized he was crying after all. He didn't care. "I'm home!"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	20. Chapter 20

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm looking to upload the next couple of chapters all in quick succession over the next couple of days, so stay tuned! Also, sorry for being slow on updates lately.

---

Luke shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He was having trouble sleeping again. The red-headed teen slowly rolled out of bed and checked the digital clock on his windowsill. Three-thirty A.M. Wonderful. It looked like he was going to pull another all-nighter, then.

Up until the last couple of months, Luke wouldn't have minded going a whole night without sleep, because that would have meant he had been doing something worthwhile, like tinkering on one of his many inventions or catching up on a month's worth of put-off homework. Recently, however, he had been missing a great deal of sleep, and that all due to one thing.

Guilt.

How could he ever force that sight out of his mind? The sight of his friend and his sister, being overwhelmed by light from his own machine before vanishing. How could he not feel responsible? There had been an investigation and Luke had been a suspect, but suspicion had been cast away from him when the police decided that it would be almost impossible to pretend to be as frantic and emotional as Luke had been under questioning. Not to mention that they decried his machine as a piece of junk, that did not work or even start.

But whatever they said, Luke knew, deep down, that he was responsible. He knew that it _was_ his machine which had caused the disappearance of Dan and Missy. He thought his parents agreed with him; they had certainly grown more distant in the past couple of months. There were days when they didn't even exchange a single word with him.

As he dressed out of his pajamas into regular clothes, Luke's mind turned back to the thought which had been tormented him so many evenings, the thought that had been keeping him up this night: What had happened to the two missing teens? Had Luke's machine sent them someplace? Did it digitize them, like in science fiction movies? Or--Luke's mind shied away from the thought, but it was there nonetheless--had it killed them, incinerating them so thoroughly that not a single infinitesimal speck was left?

Luke shrugged himself into his jacket and shook his head, banishing the thought from his brain. He silently left his house, closing the front door softly to avoid waking his parents. He was heading to the park down the street. It was one of the few places left where he could truly relax. He liked being there among the silent trees, away from all the machines in his house, especially that damned contraption in his basement. He still couldn't bring himself to destroy it--what if doing so meant that Dan and Missy could never come back?!--and so it sat there, gathering dust.

As he slowly loped beneath the softly glowing streetlights, his mind was jerked out of its wanderings by a burst of soft light and the sound of sudden wind. It came from the direction of the park. It only lasted a few seconds, if even that. Luke looked around, wondering if anybody else had seen it, before chiding himself mentally; of course no-one had seen it, he was the only one out at four in the morning! He raced over down the street, his curiosity piqued; as an inventor, he naturally had lots of curiosity and inquisitiveness, and the depression of recent events hadn't driven it from him completely.

Luke reached the park and ran towards the center, where the commotion had occurred; he slipped past trees like a shadow, vaulting over stones and man-made streams. Finally he reached the center, a clearing surrounded by trees, where he stopped at the edge. Many figures were slumped throughout the clearing; Luke couldn't see them clearly in the night, but many of them looked odd, or even monstrous, and one was on fire! One of the figures in the center quivered, and then stood up. Luke squinted; it looked like a human. Luke tentatively stepped through the meadow; as he got closer to the creatures, he saw them more clearly, and his heart began racing. They almost looked like…pokemon.

There was one that looked like a pale horse or pony, but with a mane of flame; that had to be a Ponyta, or maybe a Rapidash! And there was another that seemed to be a blue bulb, with tiny feet and leaves growing out of its head. An Oddish? As Luke neared the human standing in the center, who had not yet noticed him, his breath caught. It couldn't be…

Even in the dark night, Luke thought he looked tanner, and he had certainly bulked up wherever he had gone to. His clothes were different too, and he had a sort of rugged look around him that hadn't been there before. But even so, there was no mistaking it.

Dan.

---

Dan stood beneath the wonderfully familiar sky, staring at the stars above his head. There was no mistaking it, he was home. He felt the tears on his face.

"D--Dan? That can't be you? It's not possible…"

A sudden, familiar voice jerked Dan out of his euphoria. He turned and saw someone striding towards him in the dark. A familiar, scrawny, glasses-wearing, red-haired someone. "No way," Dan breathed, "Luke? Luke! No way!"

The two teens raced forwards and caught each other in a brotherly hug. "I can't believe it," Dan breathed. "I guess things are finally going my way; it sent me to my own hometown! I recognize this place now; it's the park!"

The boys pulled out of the embrace and looked at each other. Dan was happy to see his friend, but something seemed a little off about Luke. He was paler, and thinner, moreso than normal; Luke had always been skinny, but now he looked positively emaciated. There was a dingy, almost sad look about him, like he had forgotten to take care of himself, a look not helped by the appearance of patchy fuzz all over his cheeks and chin. Luke had obviously not bothered to shave in some time.

Luke looked dizzy. "You're--you're back." He said. "Dude, you're really back. I didn't kill you."

"Kill me?" Dan said with mirth. He couldn't help feeling happy; euphoria bubbled up through him, pleasure at being back home after so long away. "Luke, did you honestly think I'd have that tough a time in the world of _pokemon_?! I mean, sure, I actually did have a tough time, but there's no reason for you to have thought that--"

"Wait, what?" Luke said, interrupting his friend. "Did you just say you were sent to the pokemon world? That's what happened?"

Dan's euphoria trickled away. "You…honestly didn't know about what happened to me? Not a thing?"

"No way, there wasn't a trace or anything. The police headed an investigation and everything. I thought…deep down, I thought the machine might have been lethal…"

"No way," Dan said, recognizing depression in his friend's voice which had not been there when he left. "I'm fine, really. How long have I been gone, anyway?"

"Months."

"Wow," Dan muttered. Of course, he had spent months in the pokemon world, but deep down he had entertained the notion of time between the two worlds not progressing at the same rate. "Everybody must have been worried sick."

"Yeah," Luke said. "And they're gonna want a better explanation of where you've been than you saying you were in a video game. I mean, dude, I don't want to ruin the whole 'you coming back' deal, but it's hard to believe."

"Look, I have proof: check this out," Dan said, gesturing to the unconscious forms around the meadow, "my very own pokemon!"

"So that's what they are," Luke said. "I thought maybe…but then again, I'm tired, so I was sure I was dreaming…hey, none of them look too well."

"They've been flung between worlds; they're probably worn from the trip. I dunno why I recovered first; maybe it's because this is my home world? Ah, I'd better recall them, we don't want a whole gang of pokemon running wild and scaring everyone.

"This is Ruby, my Ponyta," Dan said, pointing out his pokemon to Luke before recalling it. "She was a gift from Blaine." Luke's eyes were wide; was the impact of finally seeing a pokemon in real life finally hitting him? "There's Armor, I got him pretty early on; Nemo, shy little guy, but he packs a wallop; Nightshade, my Oddish; Artemis, I rescued her and Nightshade from Team Rocket, and…oh? Where's Storm?"

"Storm? Who's that?"

"My Eevee, she was my first pokemon--well, kind of, anyways. She's not normal colored, has gray fur and a tattered ear…"

"What's that? Over there in the trees?" Luke said, pointing. On the far side of the meadow, something could be dimly made out in the darkness. Dan ran towards the form, Luke trying to keep up. It was a slumped, unconscious gray Eevee.

Dan got out Storm's poke ball, the one he had taken from Rico, but hesitated; Storm hated going into her poke ball. He put it away, and delicately picked her up. He could carry her; it was well into the night, from the looks of things, and if anybody saw or asked, he could pretend she was a rare breed of dog.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked as Dan gathered her.

"She doesn't like her poke ball," Dan said. "It's okay, I'll say she's a dog if anyone asks."

"Right," Luke responded. The two teens stood there, silent for several seconds, the gray Eevee hanging limp in Dan's arms. Suddenly, Luke knuckled his forehead.

"Arrgghh, what am I doing?! You're back, this is big news! It's so late that I'm not thinking straight; come back to my house, my parents will want to talk to you, we can call up your folks too, come on!" Luke turned and began picking his way through the trees. Dan followed; soon, they were out of the park and onto the sidewalk.

As they turned towards Luke's house, Luke slapped his face once more. "Ahh, with the all the excitement and everything about you coming back, I forgot to ask, how's my sister? Did she come first? Or maybe she hung back, and she'll be arriving later? Did she like it there? Is she safe?"

Luke stopped asking his questions; there was a horrified look on Dan's face. "Oh my God," he whispered, "Oh my God, oh my God, I'm so stupid, I'm so _stupid_! He turned and ran back towards the park.

"What is it? What happened?!" Luke asked desperately, running after him.

"I forgot," Dan said, "I'm so stupid, after I left Cinnabar and got mixed up with Team Rocket and all them, I completely forgot! I haven't thought about her in…weeks! Oh, God, how could I do that?!"

Dan was halfway through the trees before he collapsed, panting. He was still weary after his jump between worlds, and running full sprint while carrying a fainted pokemon was not easy. He heard footsteps padding behind him.

"Dan, you've got to turn around, come back with me to my house." Luke's voice sounded shaken.

"Didn't you listen?! Your sister's still in there, I left her behind, I've got to go back--"

"Think, Dan, I'm upset just like you, but **think**, dammit! If the park was a gateway to another world, people would have started vanishing a long time ago. It's the end of a one-way road, it has to be. We need to go to my house, think this over. You still need to see your parents."

"I'm so stupid," Dan repeated with emptiness.

"Yeah, you are," Luke said callously. He stared at Dan, before his gaze softened. "But I've known that about you for a while. At least we know where she is, and at least we know there's a way from there to here. We'll cross over again--you did it once, dammit, you'll do it again. And this time you won't be running blind: you're used to the world, the search'll be easier."

"'We'll' cross over…you're coming?"

"Course I'm coming, she's my sister, and…and, deep down, I can't blame you, when it was my machine that trapped her there in the first place. Come on."

---

Missy's consciousness returned slowly. She didn't dare open her eyes. She was afraid that if she did, she'd be in a place that wasn't her home. She was afraid that if she did, she'd still be an Eevee.

She laid there, eyes shut, for a long time. Gradually, sounds wafted up to her ear. Voices talking…human voices…Dan…and Luke?! That was the first question answered at least: she was home! Not only her original world, but her real home!

"Luke! Luke!" She cried, leaping to her feet. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Her heart broke, right at that instant. When she leapt, all illusions about being human again were shattered. Her body was still that of an Eevee, and her cries had come out in that feral poke-speak.

For about two seconds Missy was filled with profound, intense, cutting pain and sadness unlike anything she had felt before. She felt like she wanted to scream in despair with everything she had, down to her very soul.

And then suddenly the feelings stopped. They just…vanished, flitted away. Missy was suddenly filled with a blank emptiness, an eerie sort of calm.

"I'm not human," she said chillingly, emptily. "I…will never be…human." Strange. The words flowed out of her like cool water out of a faucet. She had a nagging feeling that those words should have cut her. They didn't. She could barely remember pain.

She looked around. She had been resting on a cushion placed on a floor. She recognized the room. It was the kitchen in her house. How curious.

"I'm back," she said, and in the back of her mind there was that nagging feeling again, that there should be something more than emptiness. No. Emptiness was perfect. Emptiness was…fine.

She heard the voices of Dan, of Luke, and more, which seemed familiar…her parents. Of course. They would be here. It was their house.

Missy wandered out of the kitchen into the hallway which connected with the living room. Out of the large window, pale light was seeping in; it was early morning. The sun poked its head over the horizon triumphantly, bathing Missy in glorious light; she paid it no heed. She kept walking.

At the end of the hall were her fellow pokemon--_Fellow pokemon. A pokemon for life,_ she thought--watching the humans in the room conversing. As she padded near them, they became aware of her presence, and turned to meet her. Strange, the whole group looked sad for some reason, even Nightshade and Ruby. Why were they so downtrodden? They had no reason to be sad. There was nothing to be sad about.

"M--Missy," began Nemo, with downcast eyes. "I--we're--we're so sorry, we know how sad you must be, we know you hoped that coming back here would make you human again--"

"It's all right," Missy cut him off blankly. "It's okay. I'm not hurt. Everything's fine. I don't mind."

Nemo blinked confusedly, and the other pokemon exchanged worried glances. The nagging feeling returned to Missy for a brief moment. They seemed disturbed by her lack of expression. Perhaps they were expecting sorrow? Or anger? Why would they expect that?

"Missy," Nightshade said, stepping forward to continue where Nemo had left off, "listen, we know this is going to be--tough, very tough, but we're your friends, we're here, we'll always be here, to help you through--"

"I already told you," Missy said without emotion. "There's no problem. This is…not a problem." The nagging feeling returned, more desperately this time, but her cold new self banished it again. There _was_ no problem.

"Missy," Armor said with a twinge of horror, "Are you all right? What's wrong with you, eh?"

"I am all right, Armor," she responded. "I'm fine. Fine. Everything's fine." And before they could say anything more, she wandered right past them and into the living room.

Luke and his parents were speaking animatedly. Dan, looking very distressed, was sitting on an armchair, and would occasionally add some comment of his own. Missy headed straight for her brother, and slowly rubbed against his leg, nuzzling him, in her new animal way, the only way she could express love from now on. Fine. Absolutely fine.

"Hello, Luke," She murmured. The nagging feeling came back and told her it was worthless to talk to him, that he couldn't understand, but she banished it. Who cared if Luke didn't comprehend her words? She didn't. It was fine.

"I've…missed you," she said. "It's good to see you. Yes." It was good…wasn't it?

At the feeling of this new and unfamiliar creature nuzzling his legs, Luke stopped speaking and looked down in surprise. "Hey, Dan, it looks like the last one's awake."

"Yep, that's her," Dan said with a weak grin on his face. There seemed to be something troubling him. How weird. "Storm seems to have taken a liking to you.

_Storm…yes, that's the name he calls me. Storm. It's fitting. Storms are gray, like me. Gray…yes. That color suits me very well. Yes. Gray is fine._ The nagging returned, this time accompanied by a burst of panic, but she shot it down.

There were bookcases near the living room wall. Missy glanced at them blandly. There was writing on the covers, but she could not make it out. But…that writing had to have been English.

So.

It wouldn't have mattered that they spoke a different language in the pokemon world…in her transformation into an Eevee, she had forgotten how to read and write any human language, including English. She was truly, truly trapped then. She could not write out her identity. She could not type it out on a computer. They would never, _could_ never know she was who she was. She didn't mind. It was fine.

Missy realized she had not yet said hello to her parents. She broke away from Luke casually and wandered over, sitting on the floor in front of them and looking up expectantly. "Hello, mother. Hello, father. How have you been?"

A sudden sound drew Missy's attention to the hallway door for the briefest of moments. It sounded like a choked sob, and it came from Nemo; how odd, he seemed to be trying to prevent himself from crying. Ruby was looking at her unblinking, horror in her eyes. Strange. Very strange. Didn't they know Missy felt fine?

"It's good to be home," Missy continued, looking back to her parents. The nausea of her fellow pokemon only distracted her for a moment.

"Oh, look," Missy's mom said, "what an adorable little creature. It looks so cute! Dan, you have to introduce it to your parents when they show up…they should only be a few more minutes…"

Missy gave a small, blank smile at the compliment. She thought Missy was cute. "Thank you, mother. Thank you. You have always been such a nice person. I love you so much. Yes. Love. That's fine."

Missy stretched, and then headed back to the hall. There were other places she needed to visit in this house.

"Missy," Artemis said desperately, and Missy noted with a bland curiosity that the Electabuzz's voice was slower than usual; it seemed choked, almost tightly wound. "Missy, what's wrong, please, this isn't right--"

"Everyone," Missy said, plowing over Artemis' declaration, "I'm going to go upstairs, okay? You all can come, if you want." She walked past them, to the end of the hall near the kitchen, where the stairs were. Artemis and Nemo burst into tears. Ruby had that same unblinking, horrified gaze that she had worn before. Nightshade and Armor exchanged a significant look. Their behavior was so weird. But if they wanted to act weird, let them. It was fine.

Missy padded her way up the stairs, and the others followed. On the second floor, she caught sight of a door, at the very end, on the left side, that was slightly ajar.

She trotted down there and nudged it open. She stepped into the room.

It was just like she remembered. The bed, the desk, the closet, the large old-fashioned mirror on one wall, flanked by posters. Everything was clean and tidy; pristine. No dust. Her parents had been cleaning it regularly, keeping it free of filth and clutter. Keeping it perfect for when she returned. How lovely.

She leapt up onto the bed--her bed--the bed; why was the nagging feeling returning now, all of a sudden? She pushed it away, emotionlessly of course. The other pokemon gathered in the center of the room.

"Hello, everyone," she said, curling up on the bed. "This is my room. Isn't it wonderful? I can't wait to go to sleep on this bed and--oh. Wait. They…don't know it's me…they won't let me sleep here." _Why_ was the nagging feeling returning again? Why wouldn't it just go away?! "I'll be sleeping…on a cushion, or towel, on the floor…That's fine. It'll probably be in Dan's house, not here, because they don't know I'm…they don't…that's fine. Yes. Fine. Look how pretty my room is. So clean! They've been keeping it clean for me! And, they'll keep cleaning it. Forever. Because…their little girl isn't coming back…"

"Missy, stop this!" Ruby screamed, Missy blinked and saw tears forming in the corners of the Ponyta's eyes. "Stop this, you're hurting us! Please, this is--it's too horrible--" She broke off, sobbing. How curious. This was the first time Missy had ever seen Ruby cry.

"It's okay Ruby, don't cry," she said, tilting her head in blank curiosity. "If you get tears on the floor, that's just more work that mom and dad will have to do when they clean up again."

"Missy," Nightshade said firmly, "you've got to stop. Give in. It's okay, let the grief out, it won't hurt you. This denial is killing you inside. You're hurting yourself!"

"What denial?" Missy said coolly. "I'm not denying anything. I can't speak to my parents, or my brother…ever…again." God, that nagging feeling! MAKE IT STOP! "I've accepted that. It's okay. I'm fine."

"Missy," said Armor, rumbling forward. He was on the verge of tears, or maybe he was already crying; it was hard to tell, with all that muck. "Don't you know what they're talking about down there? Weren't you listening, eh?! They're talking about a rescue mission! For you, eh, because they think you were left behind! They love you, eh!"

"Love?" Missy said, the tiniest hint of a question in her voice. The nagging feeling wouldn't leave, it kept bubbling up whenever her friends spoke. "Love. Fine. How wonderful. A rescue mission? For me? That's wonderful. Maybe I can accompany them. We'll have so much fun looking for me…"

"They love you, Missy," Artemis said, still speaking slowly. "They love you. And we do, too."

"I--" The nagging feeling was trying to burst free, it hurt, but NO! She didn't need that! Emptiness, emptiness was all she needed!

"Thanks, Artemis," Missy said flatly. "It's fine that you all care for me."

"Missy, stop using that word! Everything is _NOT_ fine!" That was Nightshade talking. "Missy, you think you're trapped, but you're not!"

"Of course I'm trapped," she responded and instead of emptiness, there was cruel, biting hate in her voice. "I've accepted it. Don't you--don't you dare try to talk me out of my acceptance!"

"You're not trapped!" He said back. "You've got us! We'll find a way, somehow, don't give up! Missy, you need to cry! Please, just let it all out, it's okay to cry!" The other pokemon took up the call.

"Cry!"

"Missy, please!"

"It's okay, eh!"

"Please, just cry!"

_But--what--cry?--I--_ The nagging burst free, free of the emptiness forever, and Missy was flooded with all the emotions she had been holding back, flooded with despair, and loneliness, and desperation, and hate, and most of all with sheer, biting, hurtful sadness. She sunk on her bed, quivering, tears streaming from her eyes like they had never done before.

"N--No," she whispered, before sobbing uncontrollably. In between sobs, bits and pieces of words burst out. "No--God--_God_--why--it's not--not--fair--_WHY?!_"

She could not have controlled the torrent of emotions if she tried. Why? After so, so long, she had come so far, why was she still a pokemon? Why was every method of communication closed to her? Her family, they were so close, and they would never know! It wasn't fair! It wasn't! She had never done anything!

She wept and wept, and slowly became aware of the other pokemon comforting her, holding her, saying soothing words, and gradually the tears stopped, and her heart stilled. Yes, she was trapped as an Eevee, likely forever. That hurt. Oh, God, that hurt a lot. But, she had to accept it. Not the fake, former acceptance of that terrible emptiness. True acceptance. She had to recognize the pain. She had to recognize the bad.

And she had to recognize the good, as well. Dan and Luke and her parents were trying to find some way to rescue her. That meant a lot. A small glimmer of hopeful love shone in her heart amidst the grief. And her room…her parents had never given up, had always kept vigil, waiting for her. That made her happy, truly happy. And her friends, the other pokemon, all of them, weeping for her, and helping her.

"Thank you," she whispered through her still-watery eyes. "Thank you all so much."

It was a while before she finally shook the others off, smiling, tears peppering her fur.

"I needed that, I guess," she said. "Thanks everyone."

"Are you okay?" Nemo said with concern.

"Yeah, yeah I am. I mean, I'm not very happy, but I think I'll be able to deal. At least I'm home. There's going to be some way to figure out how to tell them the truth about myself. I just know there will be."

The pokemon left Missy's room--she felt a twinge of painful regret upon stepping out--and headed back down the stairs. Missy's sensitive ears perked up. There were new, unfamiliar voices in the house.

"…top indulging my son's fantasies, please! I want to know where he was, and all I hear is this 'pokemon' nonsense, and you all seem satisfied with a clear _lie_ as an answer!"

"It's not a lie, Dad," Dan's voice responded. "I really did go there! My pokemon are around here somewhere, I've already told you, they just seem to have wandered off or something…"

Missy raced down the stairs and burst into the living room with the other pokemon. A tall, balding, slightly pudgy man with glasses and brown hair was standing, leering at Dan, who was gazing defiantly back. So much for a happy little reunion. A woman Missy could only assume was Dan's mother sat on a chair, looking bewildered; perhaps she had not gotten over the shock of having her son suddenly returned to her. She was tall and thin, and had probably once been pretty. Her hair was done up, and was a faded brown.

Dan looked over his father's shoulder and beamed at the sight of his pokemon. "Look, Dad, there they are, just turn around!"

Mr. Fawcett glanced over his shoulder and froze, his eyes widening dramatically. Dan pushed past him and ran up to his pokemon, bending down to embrace them.

"Well?" Dan said, turning towards his father. Mr. Fawcett blinked and staggered backwards a little bit from the shock.

"I--I--"

"It's more than a little difficult to take in, isn't it?" Missy's mother said good-naturedly. "But they're all pretty cute, when you look at them, even the purple one."

Missy heard Armor grumble behind her, and she wasn't sure if he was flattered or insulted. She tried not to giggle.

"I'm…very sorry I doubted you, son," Dan's father said, still bewildered. He was still standing, apparently rooted to the ground by the sudden appearance of the pokemon.

"Heh, it's okay, Dad," Dan said with a grin. "I know that when you get mad at me like that it's really an expression of love. Heck, if you hadn't gotten mad at me at some point for disappearing, I would have been worried; I mean, that sort of behavior would be out-of-character for you."

Dan's Dad blinked, but in the meantime Dan was walking over to his mom, and he gave her a big hug. "Y'know, with Dad thundering around the moment he walked in the door, I forgot to say hi to you, Mom. So…hi."

Dan's mom hugged him back tightly. "I thought you were dead," she croaked, and Missy saw she was crying.

"I'm sorry," Dan whispered, and his voice was tight. Missy felt a twinge of sadness. She wanted her own mother to embrace her. She shook her head, clearing away the tears that were welling in her eyes. She would cry later, but now wasn't the time.

Soon, talk turned to Missy herself. Armor had been right; they were planning on going back to try to find her. She felt wonderful at this evidence that they all really did care about her, but she felt a growing unease in the back of her mind. There was no need for them to return, because she was right here! What if they got lost? What if they got trapped? What if they were turned into pokemon themselves?

At that last thought, Missy suddenly found herself entertaining an image of Dan, now an Eevee himself, and he was nuzzling her…

She shook her head more forcefully this time, banishing the thought, feeling her face become very hot indeed. _That_ particular image had manifested itself in a few interesting dreams, but she tried to avoid thinking about it. She forced herself to listen to the others talk; she had to learn their plans, and find some way to convince them not to go!

"So, I know you already told my parents and I what happened," Luke said in an apologetic tone, "but I think your parents deserve to hear the story."

"All right," Dan said, "so, um, long story short, Luke, Missy, and I were in the basement of this house, and Luke was showing me this machine, and he ran upstairs for some reason. Missy said…erm, something funny, and I laughed and sprayed soda on some wiring. The machine freaked out and spat out this weird sphere-looking thing, and she touched it, and next thing I knew I was on Cinnabar Isl--I mean, I was in the pokemon world.

"So, I befriended a guy named Blaine, and we looked for Missy for a while but couldn't find her, so I headed north to try and look for her as well as try to find some way to get back here, but I got caught up with these criminals called Team Rocket--don't give me that look, Mom, I was _fighting_ the criminals, not hanging out with them, jeez--and I got sidetracked, so when the opportunity came for me to come back home, I took it, but I had forgotten about Missy in the midst of all that happened," he finished sheepily. "I'm…I know I already said this, but I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Dan," Missy's father said, "we know you did your best." However, now that Missy was focusing, she could hear the hardness in his voice; she had grown up with the man, and she knew that tone meant he was very angry and trying to hide it.

"So," Luke said, obviously changing the subject; it was clear he recognized the dangerous tone in his father's voice as well. "We've got to decide what to tell the police; I mean, they're gonna find out Dan's back sooner or later. Do we tell the truth, say he was in the pokemon world? That could get out of hand very fast, it would be a media circus, but public attention would be on us and it might help us find Missy sooner if we can get the whole world worked up over her disappearance."

"I don't know if I like that plan," Dan said. "I mean, there's no guarantee anyone will want to help us look for your sister once they find out dimensional travel is possible, and what if my pokemon get kidnapped by the government to be experimented on, or something like that?!"

"I agree," Missy's mom said, shooting a wary eye at her father; Missy's dad didn't look happy at Dan's response. "I want Melissa back as soon as possible, but in the end I think telling the whole world, 'Hey look! Real live pokemon, right here!' would do more harm than good."

"'Melissa'?" Missy heard the other pokemon muttering among themselves, and she flinched inwardly. She had never told them that 'Missy' was actually a nickname.

"We'll just tell the police that you ran away," Dan's father said, looking at his son. "It's the solution that's best for everyone, I think. If you had been kidnapped or gotten lost for months before returning, there'd be quite a story behind it, and they'd want to know all the details. Saying you ran away gives a valid reason for wanting to keep the details of your little excursion a secret, I think, and I'm pretty sure the police can't question you too much on it unless we give them permission--which we won't. With that story, we'll only need to think up a few minimalistic details. Of course, we can't say you and Missy ran away together--Good God, no!--so we'll need to think up another excuse for her when she returns."

"Great," Dan muttered, "So that'll be my new reputation, Dan the runaway."

Mr. Fawcett snorted. "It's better than Dan the kidnappee."

"By the way, Dan," his mom said, "when you got back, where did you return? Did you have to hitchhike? Did you land in a foreign country? Did that pony-creature give you a ride?"

Ruby the 'pony-creature' drew herself up indignantly, but Missy was too focused on Dan's reply to care much.

"Actually, I landed here in town. No clue why, don't bother asking. I showed up at the park."

"Why don't we head there?" Missy's mother suggested. "There might be a clue there, and even not, it'll give us all a chance to get out of this house."

Soon, they were all out the door, Dan having recalled all his pokemon except, as usual, for Missy.

"This one's Storm," Dan told his mother as they drove over to the park. "She doesn't like her poke ball, so I keep her around outside. She was in a way the first pokemon I caught, she was right there when I woke up." Dan's mother nodded enthusiastically; Missy got the feeling that she had no clue what he was talking about, but was indulging her son simply out of the happiness of having him returned to her.

As they stepped out of the car, at the edge of the park, Missy suddenly felt momentarily woozy. A feeling of dread came over her; in her mind's eye, she saw a horrifically mangled corpse; the old blood scent which had haunted her filled her nostrils.

The moment the eerie feeling passed, something happened. There was a sound like a great gust of wind, but there was no wind to speak of. A flash of light. Everyone stood momentarily stunned.

Luke, who was halfway out of his car, turned to Dan and said in a breathlessly hopeful voice, "That's just what happened when you showed up this morning."

"You don't think--"

"Somebody's shown up!"

"_Missy!_"

Everyone ran off into the park, calling her name, excited to see her. Missy herself ran alongside Dan, panicking. She knew that it wasn't her who was arriving. The images in her head and the brief reappearance of the blood scent left her no doubt. High above her, the sky rumbled. Gray clouds were gathering.

"Dan, Dan, please, get the other pokemon out--" There was rustling in the clearing, the beat of massive insect wings, but of course only she could hear it, she had the best hearing by far. "Dan we've been followed here, please, stop!" She spoke more of desperation than anything; even if they couldn't understand her, maybe they'd hear the fearful tone of her voice, understand that there was evil waiting for them in the clearing?

They did not.

Everyone stopped at the edge of the clearing upon seeing who was standing there. It was not Missy. The adults looked confused. Luke looked worried; he recognized the creature in the center, at least. Dan was horrified. He knew who this was.

The Scyther was already on its feet, wings beating. Any hopes Missy had as to her being wrong on the identity of this new world-hopper were dashed when she saw the chip in that Scyther's blade; the chip she put there. Behind the Scyther, its master was rising unsteadily. A human man in his late twenties, dressed extravagantly, with a blue coat, a red neckerchief, and of course his trademark pearl mask.

Masque finally stood straight, and looked around, in another world at last. He turned and caught sight of the people standing at the edge of the park; the mouth below his mask became a small, cruel smile when he saw Missy. He was amused that she was still an Eevee.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Fawcett," he said silkily, stepping forward. "It's been much too long. Hello."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	21. Chapter 21

"Wh-who are you?!" Dan's father sputtered. "And how do you know my name?"

Masque's brows lowered over his lustrous mask. "Your name? No, no, I was addressing…" He gestured vaguely towards Dan. "However…if you answer to 'Mr. Fawcett', you must be his parent." His mouth tightened into a bullying smile. "I never thought I would arrive directly in your hometown! My my, this shortens things considerably."

Mr. Fawcett drew himself up gruffly, but Dan cut in before his father could launch a tirade. "Dad, run. Everyone else, too. I've met him before. He's dangerous, a murderer." He reached for his poke balls.

"Stop, if you would, Mr. Faw--ah, sorry. Stop, if you would, _Dan_." Dan tensed, his hand freezing mere inches from Armor's poke ball. Masque gazed at him, that same small, disturbing smile plastered on his face. "I'd like to wait a bit before things get ugly…try to move against me, and you'll see how quickly my Scyther can sever flesh from bone." He gave a significant glance at the others. "You can't hope to protect them all."

Dan slowly moved his hand away from the poke ball. Masque's smile tightened. "Marvelous," he said grandiosely, "simply marvelous! The rest of you should know that any attempt to leave before your time will also provoke my, ah, retribution." He turned to Luke and his family. Missy had by now instinctively run over to them, bristling in front of her brother, ready if necessary to protect them from the Scyther.

"And you," the outlandishly dressed man murmured malevolently, "must be Luke. The hair alone guarantees it. And that makes you _her_ parents. Lovely."

Missy's heart began racing faster in spite of the situation. Masque knew her identity. There was still a chance for everyone to find out who she really was!

"Wait, 'her'?" Luke said slowly, his mind working. "You don't mean…"

"Missy," Masque finished simply. He had a neutral look on his face, but his eyes sparkled with malignance. "The fact that I even know her name at all should be proof enough that I'm telling the truth. Tell me…what do you know of your long-lost sister?"

The clouds above were roiling, churning. Gray was morphing into a thunderous black. A terrible storm was about to be born.

"That she was--is--lost in the pokemon world."

_Luke…_ Missy thought. _I'm more lost than you know…_

"How do you know her? How could you possibly have met her?!" Dan screamed, pointing an accusing finger at the former Team Rocket member. Masque did not respond; he simply rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet, the maddening smile growing ever wider. Though the Scyther had both eyes on Dan, in case the teen decided to loose one of his pokemon despite Masque's threats, he bared his teeth; Missy knew the gesture was meant for her.

"That's all I know, honest," Luke said with a pained look on his ragged face. He drew his arms in, shivering, as a fierce wind--herald of the soon-to-be storm--gusted through the park clearing. "If you can reunite me with her, please! Do it!"

"Do you want me to tell you about your sister?" Masque asked, and his concerned tone contrasted horribly with his wicked smile. His eyes were staring pointedly at Missy's brother. "Do you want me to tell you everything?"

"Yeah," Dan said angrily, taking a step forward despite the Scyther's warning hiss. "You'd better tell us--"

"That statement was not directed at you, Dan," Masque interrupted without taking his eyes from Luke's face. "Only Luke can tempt that information out of me. After all, he's the entire reason that I left my home dimension and came here. He is everything I have been working towards since I first _met_ young Missy."

_Wait, what?_ Missy thought. _Luke is what Masque is after? What's he mean?_

"You've been working towards…me?" Luke said with disbelief. "Why?"

"Why indeed?" Masque echoed back with false mirth.

"Dan said that you're a murderer. Is that true?"

"Most certainly."

Luke's face hardened. He visibly braced himself. "I don't care who you are. I'm not going to help you in your schemes!"

"You are being obstinate," Masque said. "I'll have to talk you out of that. But, now is not the time or place. Scyther!"

It all happened so quickly. The moment his master said his name, the Scyther lunged forwards, straight at Luke. Missy ran forwards to meet him, but he casually swatted her out of the way, catching her on the flat of his chipped blade. The Bug-type dealt Luke a devastating kick to his face, and the teen dropped unconscious immediately. Before he could hit the ground, the Scyther caught him, delicately cradling him against his body with the broad side of one of his blades while pointing the other at Missy, daring her to come nearer.

All that took perhaps three seconds. In those three seconds, Dan screamed "That's it!" and reached for his poke balls like lightning. There was a flash as he loosed all five of his fighters. However, Dan's flash was met by others; Masque had not come with only the Scyther to back him up, and four of his pokemon now stood leering at Dan's team.

"Attack," Masque said, pointing at Missy. One of his pokemon, a Dragonair, launched a bolt of lightning at Missy, who raced away to avoid the blast. Masque was off running the moment she was no longer near her brother. He darted through the smoke from the explosion, his coat streaming almost horizontally behind him, and helped his Scyther bear Luke. They, carrying Missy's brother between them, raced off, out of the park. "These people are of no use to me," Masque called back to his assembled pokemon. "Break them however you'd like." And with that he, his Scyther, and Luke were vanished, gone like ghosts into the trees.

The storm finally broke. Lightning spiraled across the sky, accompanied by tremendous thunder. The wind swept through the clearing like a juggernaut, blasting leaves off of the trees and roaring in everyone's ears like a vengeful banshee. The heavy, humid scent accompanying the wind announced that rain would not be far behind.

"Stop!" cried Missy. "Bring my brother back!" Before she took more than three steps, she felt the fur tingle with the approach of oncoming electricity. An explosion right where she had been knocked her off her feet. As she scrabbled up out of the wind-driven grass, a blue streak shot from behind her. Before Missy knew what was happening, she was grappling with the Dragonair.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ she chided herself. _How could I forget something that had just shot electricity at me? Of course it would do it again!_ She tried fighting back against the snake-like pokemon, but for all its massive size it had a speed to rival Missy's own, and soon her paws were pinned to her sides as it caught her in a writhing embrace. As she felt the breath being squeezed out of her, Missy tried in vain to twist her head into a position where she could bite her attacker. The Dragonair leered down at her with eerie jet-black eyes, and electricity began gathering once again in the horn on its head.

As it prepared to discharge its payload, a sudden jet of fire streaked into its side. The electricity dissipated as the Dragonair lost concentration, and its coils loosened for a moment. That was all the opportunity Missy needed. She brought her head down, biting fiercely into her opponent's side. The Dragonair gave a wail and began thrashing, allowing Missy to worm her way free. Just as Missy escaped Masque's pokemon, a sudden flash of white and fiery orange shot past, ramming into the dragon's side. The dragonair flew backwards; when it landed, it coiled dangerously, silently surveying its new foe.

"You all right?" said Ruby. The bright flames of her mane stood a sharp contrast to the iron sky up above; they illuminated the messy scars on her back.

"Fine," breathed Missy, trying to recover the air the Dragonair had squeezed from her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the other pokemon fighting in the clearing. Nemo, Nightshade, and Armor were grappling against two of Masque's pokemon. One looked a bit like her own form as an Eevee, but larger, and with blue scales instead of fur. Most curiously, it had a mermaid's tail. The other pokemon was a massive, purple moth; Missy recalled fighting one during their weeks tracking down renegade Rockets. She thought it was called a "Venomoth".

Artemis was staring down a pinkish blob with a disturbing smile on its face. Missy noticed with amazement as it suddenly began reshaping itself, growing limbs and sprouting yellow fur out of nowhere.

Lightning flashed across the sky--still rainless, though the scent was only growing stronger--and the ensuing thunder was a starting pistol. As it rang through the clearing, she and the Dragonair both launched themselves forward. A blast of fire shot past Missy, aimed right at the Dragonair, but the serpent fell flat and slithered under the wave on its belly. Missy raised her paw to scratch at her opponent's face, but it dodged with its unnatural speed and stabbed at her with the horn on its head. Before it could connect, Ruby raced frontwards once more and caught the Dragonair with a devastating strike from her hooves. The Dragonair withdrew once more, aware it was outclassed in a two-to one fight.

Missy once again noticed the other pokemon fighting in her peripheral vision. Armor was flinging blobs of sludge at the Venomoth, but the Bug-type rode the storm's wind on its wings and casually dodged each one, raining deadly powder with each wingbeat. The blue Eevee lookalike shooting a jet of water at Nemo, who was countering with one of his own, but roots suddenly burst from the ground and lanced its side; it fell back, with a pained cry of "Vaporeon!" Missy did not know where Nightshade was--using the plants in the clearing as camouflage, most likely--but doubtless it was he who had attacked the blue creature. Strangely enough, the blob pokemon seemed to have disappeared; in its place a second Artemis had sprouted, and the two were engaged in an electrical duel.

The Dragonair lunged again, and both Missy and Ruby raced forward to meet it, but it twisted in midair, avoiding them both; Missy saw the glow of electricity bathe its horn once again, and as she and Ruby made an about-face, a bolt shot from the Dragon-type and slammed into Ruby, who fell back. Immediately the blue snake was grappling with Missy once again. She tried to avoid being roped in its coils like before, but this was difficult to accomplish, as it was also trying to gouge its horn into her. As Missy caught its eye, the creature let out a shriek laced with hatred. Missy knew then that this was no ordinary pokemon battle, with rules and unspoken codes. This was like her fight against the Scyther back in Saffron, a bout to the death where anything was allowed, with trainers all but ignored. This was a fight between animals, a primal struggle for survival.

Just as Missy seemed once again to be wrapped by her opponent, it loosed her and wriggled away, barely avoiding another sheet of flame. That electric blast had not taken Ruby out of the picture for long. Missy clearly saw the others now, directly in her point of view. She saw that the fights against the Venomoth and Vaporeon had become an all-out brawl, with every pokemon fighting blindly. Dan hovered at the edge of the clearing, looking panicked; this was not the sort of battle a trainer was meant to handle, and though the fight was best left to the pokemon themselves, he looked powerless about it.

Behind Dan, his parents and Missy's own were own standing motionless, gaping. They had never seen this sort of thing before, a terrible fight between creatures with formidable powers.

_What are they thinking?_ thought Missy as thunder boomed once again. _Dan has a right to stay since his pokemon are involved, but they need to run! This is dangerous!_

As if it determined to prove her fears true, the Venomoth broke off from the fighting and flew towards the humans, glittering powder trailing from his wings. Missy's mother and Dan both took a step backwards in shock, but the rest seemed immobile. Missy fearfully noticed that the other pokemon on her team had not noticed that the Bug-type had left their brawl.

"Ruby," she screamed, "the Venomoth is attacking the humans! Do something!"

The Ponyta grunted a response and, with a parting shot of flame aimed at the Dragonair, raced to head off the Venomoth.

Missy's attention was foolishly focused on her friend's departure, and so she noticed too late that the Dragonair was inching forward. It suddenly moved, faster than quicksilver, and before Missy had any time to react its tail slammed into her face, the two globes on the end knocking painfully into her skull. Stars danced across her vision.

As she reeled from the blow, suddenly it was upon her, coils squeezing her like a vise. Missy desperately struggled, and she luckily landed a claw on one of the many burns Ruby had given it. It pulled away, hissing, but when Missy's paws touched the ground again, she wavered, still dizzy from the strike to her skull. Lightning flashed across the sky once again, but close this time, the thunder arriving less than a second later with a sound like a bomb being dropped. The flash and noise disoriented her even further, and the Dragonair used the opportunity to gather its electrical attack once again. The blast slammed into Missy, knocking her backwards painfully into a tree at the edge of the clearing. She collapsed on the ground, electricity coursing through her muscles; she was paralyzed, unable to move.

She saw the Dragonair raising its lithe neck triumphantly beneath the cloudy sky, a smug look on its face as its horn glowed once more. It was preparing the finishing blow. Just as the horn sparked, lightning cascaded from the clouds, even closer than before. The bolt struck the Dragonair, using its horn like a lightning rod, and the serpentine pokemon spasmed as the wrath of a storm poured into its body. If Missy had been disoriented before, the sudden brightness and even more intense boom sent her head whirling once again.

She fought to regain control of her senses, and as her sight and hearing returned to normal she tried not to vomit as the sudden, pungent scent of singed flesh touched her nostrils. She avoided looking at the Dragonair, lying still in a patch of charred grass; she did not need to see its glassy, wide-open eyes to know that the Dragonair had lost their fight. It was dead.

She staggered past the body, muscles still weak from the aftereffects of the electrical attack. She wished the rain would hurry up and start falling, and was away the horrible charred smell. It was too much like the blood scent from Viridian; she fought to keep the image of the dead Giovanni out of her mind.

The other pokemon were still dueling it out. The Venomoth lay unconscious on the grass, mere feet from where Dan and the other humans huddled. The Vaporeon was still fighting on, but Ruby, Armor, Nemo, and Nightshade had teamed up to take it down, and it was clearly on its last ropes. Missy instead turned her attention to the twin Electabuzz, which were grappling on the grass. They cried out as they fought, and Missy noticed that even their voices were identical.

As she neared the two pokemon, however, she noticed that one Electabuzz gave off Artemis' scent, while the other…didn't. Thinking to herself that the mysterious pink blob had somehow made a bizarre doppelganger of Artemis, Missy leapt upon the one who smelled wrong and scratched and bit for all she was worth. The fake Artemis fell away from the real one, trying to drag her off.

"Off, get off," it cried in Artemis' voice, and its long claws raked against her body, but thankfully they went no further than brushing against her fur. It finally grabbed Missy by one of her ears. She squealed despite herself--it was her wounded ear--as it flung her off. However, the real Artemis lunged forwards and dealt the fake a devastating blow to its stomach. The fake staggered back and Artemis struck it again, this time with a powerful backhand blow to its face. It slumped to the earth, unconscious, and Missy watched in shock as its body dissolved, fur bubbling away to be replaced by pink goo.

"Wow-thanks-I-thought-I-was-a-goner," Artemis said, speaking fast even between the pants of her breath.

"Yeah," Missy said, not bothering to say any more due to weariness.

"You both okay, eh?" Missy turned to see Armor and the others walking over to meet them. The Vaporeon was slumped, knocked cold, on the grass behind them. "Sorry 'bout that, Artemis, we couldn't tell who was who, eh, not with that Ditto running amok."

"Yeah-whatever-I-took-care-of it," Artemis said, wearily sitting down on the grass. The other pokemon also fell back, tired. Nemo outright collapsed.

"Guys," said Dan's voice, and soon their trainer was among them, astonishment mingling with relief on his face. "You're all okay. I'm sorry I wasn't able to guide you much, that was just…it was a brawl, like nothing I've ever seen. I'm just glad none of you fainted…or even…" He trailed off, but glanced significantly in the direction of the Dragonair's body. His face tightened.

"Our parents--mine, I mean, and Luke's--I think they might be in shock. I don't think they really expected to see that sort of thing, especially not to have it sprung on them so suddenly."

Thunder boomed above them again, and Dan grimaced. "Come on, we've got to get back. We at least need to run the adults home to where it's safe. We have to figure out what to do about Masque. And you all need to rest."

He pulled out his poke balls and, thanking each pokemon individually before he recalled them. Soon, only Missy was left. He paused. "Storm," Dan said, "are you sure you don't want to get back in your poke ball? Just this once?"

Missy shook her head. She wanted to rest, and she'd never be able to do that in the surreal nightmare that was her poke ball. Dan sighed, and then bent down and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "I can't make you take even another step," he said, "not in this state." Missy just nodded; she was too tired to feel jittery from being so close to Dan.

As he walked toward the trees, leaving the park, Missy got a clear view of the clearing. She saw the Dragonair's body lying there, and even though it had fought against her, she felt something like pity rise within her. She hoped it would rain soon.

***

Masque took pride in his own abilities, but he did not consider himself arrogant. To be arrogant was to be conceited about something you had no right to be conceited about, and he had every right to be impressed with himself.

How foolishly they had acted back in his home world, as though merely sending him to prison to would be enough to constrain him. He knew that if he wanted to begin his journey between worlds, tailing the girl trapped as an Eevee and her trainer would be a good first step; he had already known from accessing Missy's memories that the Fawcett boy was searching for a way home. However, thanks to Giovanni's foolish grandiosity in Saffron City, the Pokemon League was sure to begin a systematic extermination of Team Rocket.

Though he had forced the Team to disband, Masque knew that as a former high-ranking member, considerable attention would be focused on him. Rather than try to tail Dan and Missy while dodging the League's efforts, he had instead opted for a simple, brilliant solution: allowing himself to be captured.

Masque smiled to himself at the thought of his plan. When he had killed Giovanni, the former crime boss had counted a Hypno among his pokemon. However, when the League arrived, the Hypno was not there. Masque sent it away, to hide, with secret instructions that would facilitate his escape.

After Masque had been imprisoned for a short while, the Hypno arrived at his prison. Using its psychic powers, it managed to stealth its way into the building undetected; it mesmerized the warden into releasing Masque, and then hypnotically wiped the memories of both the prison staff and the prisoners themselves. Masque made sure to take the liberty of wiping all data regarding his incarceration from the prison's computers.

With records of him gone and his presence hypnotically forced away, the prison had gone on like a well-oiled machine, unaware that one of its more notable prisoners had vanished. Masque's disappearance would not be noticed until somebody outside of the facility aware of his imprisonment had visited or sent notice, by which time Masque would be well away from the building, possibly even in another world.

He secretly shadowed Missy and her crush for a good time, pursuing them on their journey to Lavender Town. However, the group had unexpectedly picked up Rico as a companion; to force him away, Masque robbed a nearby town which was devoid of police officers, forcing Rico to go assist them.

Masque did not tail them directly in the Tower. He avoided spending large amounts of time in there as it made him uneasy, an unfortunate side effect of his powers. He had one of his pokemon shadow them, and in its report was the information that the tower's peak contained a stone archway which glowed mystically when touched with fire. Masque raced through the vertical graveyard, and vanished into the portal.

A void. Chaos. Miasmic darkness.

He floated in there, that strange space with points of light, for what seemed an eternity. His plan had not accounted for something such as this; all seemed lost.

The Hypno was his savior. The rift was an odd place; bizarre echoes of Missy and the others, those who had come before, remained there. Masque loosed the Hypno, which trailed the imprint to a green point of light. After recalling his servant, Masque and his eternally faithful Scyther tried forcing themselves into that point of light.

And thus they arrived. How fortuitous, to be sent right to the boy Luke's hometown, let alone to arrive right in front of him.

Masque's target himself was sprawled in a chair, still unconscious. The Scyther had overdone the kick to his face.

Masque looked around the abandoned City Hall, his new citadel. This town was tiny, insignificant, in the middle of nowhere. Its lackluster nature was of course beneficial in keeping things with the locals from getting out of hand, but at the same time, there was little that possessed true splendor. Masque held a generally high opinion of himself, an opinion he thought was well-deserved, but he knew there were certain flaws to his character. One such quirk was his love of magnificence. His stylish manner of dress was proof enough of that.

The City Hall, however, was a decent enough place for a backwards hovel such as this. It was a large building, with furniture made of carved dark wood, and a building style that attempted to avoid modern trappings in favor of the elegance of times past. Paintings and faux crystal chandeliers were in abundance. The best part was the roof; or rather, that it had no roof. Massive panels of glass separated the ceiling from the outside world, and allowed view of the sky outside. Masque suspected they were bulletproof, to avoid destruction through hail or storms. The sky above was a churning mass of clouds the color of pitch. Masque suspected it would rain soon.

Of course, with exception to its City Hall, there was no denying that the trivial little town lacked finery or any sort of importance. Then again, Masque had to admit that such a situation suited his plans. There was a definitive need to avoid the rest of the world getting entangled in his web.

After spiriting away Luke, pokemon were sent out to cut off all communications. Masque's first target was the power plant, but as luck would have it, the storm had already done his job for him. The rest was easy: a trio of Magneton to lay a magnetic field over the town, cutting them off from radio waves and satellite communication, and two Porygon to infiltrate cyberspace, preventing any residents from emailing for help or posting any messages on their computers.

With the town cut off from the outside, Masque began his fun. It was easy to clear City Hall of people, as most had not seen a pokemon and were readily terrified of his Scyther. The first two casualties of Masque's visitation were stuffed away in some closet near the back of the building, dripping scarlet blood over mops and cleaning supplies.

One of the bodies belonged to a police officer; Masque had ordered his Scyther to kill the first one he saw, as a show of force. The second was that of a girl, barely out of her late teens. The Scyther had killed her on his own initiative. The fate of the policeman had provoked her to scream and bring attention to herself; in a bloodlust after the first kill, the Scyther had been more than happy to silence the irritating cry.

A sudden sound jerked Masque's mind out of his musings; the boy was waking up. Finally.

"Nngh," Luke said, rubbing his head. "Where…" he said groggily, looking around. His eyes widened when they fell upon Masque, and he gave a cry of outrage.

"Wait," Masque said smoothly. "Calm yourself. We have business to discuss."

"Never!" Luke spat back at him. "I refuse to help a murderer, not for anything!"

"Not even for your sister's well-being?"

That brought silence from the boy. Masque knew then and there that he was already close to victory. Still, he chose his words carefully. "I alone can reunite you with her. I alone know the information that can bring you to her. Do you dare risk blowing me off so casually?"

Luke was silent for a moment. "Is she…alright? Is she alive?"

"Alive, yes. Alright? Well…that depends on what point of view you choose to take."

"You're a murderer, is that right? How do I know I can trust you? How do I know she's not dead?!"

"You don't know. And you never will, until you act on the information I have. It's your choice: assist me and hope that I'm telling the truth--and I assure you I am--or else live the rest of your life not knowing. One of those choices gives you a definite chance of seeing Missy again, and it is not the one where you ignore me."

Luke pondered the words for a great while. Masque sat quietly, the picture of patience. He knew how to play people's emotions to get what he wanted; he had been doing it for years.

"What happened after I fell unconscious? Did you try to hurt my friends and family?" Luke said suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, perhaps trying to catch the other man off guard.

"No, I did not," Masque lied coolly. There were many secrets to being an effective liar, but one of the foremost was being able to lie without feeling anything inside: remorse, anticipation, fear. Even if you did not project those outwardly, allowing such detrimental emotions to rampage within was the sign of a weak psyche, and a weak psyche could not tell good lies. "I left them behind in the park, to find a place for us to talk with one another."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Build me a machine. A machine like the one that sent your sister to my world, but that can send me to any world I choose. That is what I want."

Luke nodded. "I guess…that's not too impossible. I built the first one, even if it was by accident. If it's for my sister, I can build another one that does what you want."

Masque nodded. "I want it _fast_, boy, so work as best you can."

"I'll try, but these things can't be built on a whim, it'll take time…"

"What a shame…" Masque said with a sigh. "I suppose I'll have to find ways for my pokemon and I to entertain ourselves in the meantime. And our entertainment could prove to be a little…_stressful_ on this poor town of yours."

Luke stood up in a flash. "Is that supposed to be a threat?! Don't play with me, six pokemon alone can't hold an entire town hostage, no matter what they are!"

"Only six? Luke, you underestimate me." Masque opened his blue jacket, showing the inside, and Luke gaped; there were over two dozen poke balls clipped there.

"But--how! That's not possible, trainers can only have six pokemon at a time! Dan only has six pokemon!"

"Not possible? Please, did you think us physically incapable of lifting seven or more poke balls? The six pokemon rule is just that: a rule, set down by the Pokemon League. Of course, it's a rule with a reason--pokemon are more loyal to their trainers if they respect them, which is why gym badges can inspire even the most titanic of pokemon to serve you. However, get beyond six and pokemon begin losing interest in their trainers, becoming wild and out of control. It is for this reason that even criminals usually carry no more than six.

"I, however," Masque said with a knowing smile, tapping the side of the shining white mask on his face, "possess certain abilities that allow me to instill loyalty in as many pokemon as I like.

"Now then," he said, "I think it's time for my pokemon and I to stretch our legs, don't you think? And remember, Luke, the longer you take to meet my request, the more likely it becomes that someone you know gets hurt in my little fun…Dan, perhaps, or your mother? Now work, work! Missy is waiting for you."

Masque prowled through the halls, feeling as near to inner peace as he ever had in his entire life. He felt marvelous. As he stepped out of the doors of City Hall onto the abandoned pavement, a raindrop pattered down onto his shoulder, and then another. The storm was finally ready to let loose its tears.

Masque released his pokemon--every last one.

"This city is ours, friends," he said sadistically. "Have fun with it. And try to inspire as much fear and sadness as you can, alright? We want to give poor Luke a proper incentive to work as hard as he can."

---

Nightshade tried to ignore the feeling of cold rain against his leaves. It was distracting.

After the battle in the park, they had returned to Missy's home to recuperate. All of the pokemon bunkered down, resting away their injuries as best they could without a pokemon center, while the humans tried to find where Masque had taken Missy's brother. They tried to phone the police, but the storm had knocked the power lines dead, and something was messing up the cell phones as well, strangely enough. Dan's father had driven out to the police station in person.

Mr. Fawcett's return woke up Nightshade and all the others. He burst through the door, raving about legions of monsters roaming the streets and attacking citizens.

"I don't know how Masque got his hands on so many pokemon," Dan told the others, "but it's our job to try and stop this before it gets out of hand."

He split them into three groups. Dan, accompanied by Armor and Missy, would try to find the police and let them know exactly what sort of creatures they were up against. The others were heading to places where large groups of people usually gathered. Ruby and Nemo were tasked with protecting the shopping district, while Nemo and Artemis were on their way to the schools, which Dan said were apparently all built within a few blocks of each other.

"Nightshade-come-on-you've-got-to-hurry-up!" Artemis cried, ahead of him. The Oddish nodded in agreement, between panting breaths. Thankfully none of his group had sustained terrible injuries in their battle against Masque's pokemon, and sleep had helped them heal (thank Arceus that pokemon were far hardier than humans!) but he was still tired, and after running entire blocks nonstop, he was ready to keel over.

But he would not let that stop him. He and Artemis were charged with protecting the schools, protecting children…his mouth tightened. He and Artemis had never told the other pokemon, but their former trainer whom Team Rocket had killed was a first-year trainer, only ten years old. Nightshade had promised himself in his captivity that he would never let another child come to harm, not while he had life in his body.

"Artemis," he panted as he stopped, nearly collapsing, "I'm holding us up, aren't I?"

"Who-you-no-way-never!" Artemis replied, racing up to him in her boundless energy. Concern shone in her eyes.

"Carry me."

She seemed taken aback. "What?!"

"You heard me. I can't keep on like this, but we've got to move." She hesitated for a brief moment, but nodded and lifted him up, clutching his legs as he settled down on her shoulders.

"I shouldn't have to tell you that nobody _ever_ finds out I accepted a piggyback ride from you."

"Haha-well-I-suppose-you-have-an-image-to-maintain-right?"

"Something like that."

With Artemis no longer bound by waiting for her comrade, they sped across streets, though backyards and down sidewalks upon which rain poured. Soon, large buildings which could only be the schools came into view, and Nightshade's heart became like steel as he saw wild shapes around the nearest one. The nearby sign identified it as the elementary school, home of the youngest students.

Artemis skidded to a halt on the grass by the playground, and Nightshade leapt from her shoulders. Three pokemon were prowling around the edge of the building, leering up at the frightened eyes of children peeking out of rain-splattered windows. A fourth, massive, was perched at the top of a pine tree.

Nightshade stepped forward boldly. "Stop."

The pokemon turned to face him. It soared off the tree and flew in a circle about the building, sending children screaming with each beat of its massive wings, before settling on the ground in front of Nightshade. It was like a massive dragon made of stone: an Aerodactyl.

"Well, what have we here? Turn around before you get hurt, Grass-type, I'm not here for you."

"How dare you?" Nightshade said, and his voice was so strained with fury it was almost like a whisper. "How dare you attack defenseless children?"

The Aerodactyl gave a wicked grin, ignoring the danger in his opponent's tone. "My master told us to spread fear and sadness. I told my buddies here, 'what's more frightening and saddening than the deaths of countless children'? Really, those humans were almost asking for it, putting them all in one place. How stupid."

Nightshade stood quivering, staring fearlessly up at the brutish pokemon. He was barely the size of the Aerodactyl's foot. "You won't have the chance," he said plainly. "We'll stop you here."

The Aerodactyl snorted. "I gave you a chance to save yourself. Fine--I'll kill you, your friend, and then everyone in that school there." He smiled ferociously. "So what do you say? Let's begin!"

---

Missy, Armor, and Dan raced down the abandoned streets. Rain pattered on asphalt and pavement, mixing with the sounds in the distance: human yells, pokemon cries. Armor felt confused. How did this happen?

"It's not far, guys," Dan said, "soon we'll be at the center of town: there's City Hall, and the police station's close by, and hopefully they've left the hospital near there alone…"

They turned a corner and Armor's head suddenly registered a distant rumbling. At first he thought it was thunder, but as they moved on he saw a bridge sprawled above a raging river.

Missy told him about it as they ran. "That river runs through town; it's usually peaceful, but too much rain can make it swollen and out of control. Sometimes boulders wash along the riverbed from upstream, massive ones the size of a person. You can hear them grinding against the river bottom. That's why everyone avoids the river in the rainy season; it's dangerous enough when it's just flooding, but getting hit by one of those is a death sentence."

"Alright," Dan was saying to his pokemon, "we've almost there, just a little bit once we cross this river."

As the trio stepped onto the bridge, however, Missy suddenly froze mid-step.

"Storm?" Dan said concernedly. "Storm, what's wrong?"

"Missy, eh, what're you--" Armor stopped. Looking closely, there was almost a faint pinkish aura around her…

Suddenly Armor froze up as well, and he knew what was happening. A Psychic-type. Most pokemon simply couldn't move when bound by a psychic's power; for Armor, being a Poison-type, it was different. It felt like his entire body had been seized with liquid fire.

Thankfully, Armor was only bound a moment before he was released, albeit by being flung half the length of the bridge. As he rose, Missy was flung across the bridge as well, landing even farther than Armor had.

Dan raced over to his pokemon. "Are you both okay? What happened?"

Armor was too busy staring at the figure shrouded in showering water that was coming towards them. Slowly, an Alakazam materialized out of the rain. As Dan turned to see what his pokemon were looking at, it pointed one of its spoons at him.

Like lightning, Missy was between the two, staring down the Psychic-type fiercely. "Don't you dare," she growled. The Alakazam cocked its head to one side, amused.

As Armor took his place alongside Missy, Dan got a fervent look on his face. "Alright, let's take this joker down!" Missy, without taking her eyes from the slowly advancing Psychic-type, shook her head.

"Wait, what? Storm, you don't want me to help?" Dan said in confusion. Armor got the message she was trying to convey; he raised an arm and pointed down the road behind them.

"Oh. You want me to keep going. But, don't you need my help?" Missy shook her head again, more vigorously. "Alright. I understand. We set out this way to do a job, and I've got to complete it while you stall this guy. Just…both of you, make it through this battle." As Dan turned and raced off, thunder rang above them. The rainstorm was not letting up.

"I love you!" Missy called after him. She met Armor's eyes and blinked embarrassedly. "You know, in case we never see him again."

They had no more time to talk. When it realized that Dan was making a run for it, the Alakazam suddenly levitated and sped forward through the air, intending to pursue him.

"No you DON'T, eh!" Armor screamed, throwing a ball of slime at his opponent; it deflected Armor's attack without even slowing down. Armor caught Missy's eye and nodded. He threw another one. While it was warding the ball away with its powers Missy leapt forward and, catching it by surprise, careened into its face, savaging it with her claws. Its levitation faded and both pokemon crashed into the rain-slick bridge.

Armor lunged forward, slamming into the Alakazam. Suddenly, the liquid fire was there again, and Armor could not move. He was slammed into the bridge, and his face slid painfully back and forth on the bridge surface. Below him, he could hear the roar of the waters and, in a moment that brought chills to his heart, a terrible grinding noise that could only be the boulders Missy told him about.

The pain let up, and Armor rose to see Missy and the Alakazam, locked in combat. Missy raced forward and slammed into its torso, then darted away, dodging a blast of energy. She charged again, biting his arm, then backing away to avoid a swung fist. The third time, after tackling the Alakazam, he caught her with a punch. As she fell on the bridge, it gathered energy in one of its spoons for a blast, but Armor rushed and caught it off balance. Missy was back on her feet in an instant, and charged the Psychic-type, and all three pokemon grappled fiercely.

The Alakazam's psychic aura surrounded Armor again, and he was flung away onto the bridge, skidding along in the rain. However, the hold felt weaker than before; they were tiring it out. Missy was also thrown, but she struggled, and Armor saw her break free of the psychic hold. She raced towards the Alakazam and fell upon him, a hurricane of scratches. The Alakazam, looking furious, caught her in the embrace of its powers again, but instead of throwing her along the bridge as usual, she was thrown high into the air, over the railing. Armor's eyes widened as Missy, with a wail, was caught in the embrace of the river.

The Alakazam watched her vanish in the water with a small smile on its face. Armor quivered with rage, not even noticing the pain of the psychic hold on him.

"You...you…" He said angrily, and he fought against the hold on him, felt it weaken. Suddenly it broke. "YOU'LL PAY, EH!" Armor screamed, racing to meet his foe. The Alakazam turned and tried to bind him again, but Armor broke through its attempts like they were nothing. The Alakazam's eyes widened just before Armor plowed into it, knocking it into the bridge railings.

As the Alakazam struggled beneath Armor's bulk, the Muk poured toxins from his body into that of his opponent. The Alakazam wriggled beneath him, but Armor paid him no heed. The Psychic-type finally wriggled a spoon free and blasted Armor away with psychic energy. Armor got up immediately, shooting as venomous a look at the Alakazam as he had ever given.

Roaring, he flung bursts of sludge at his opponent, one after another. The Alakazam tried desperately to ward them away, but eventually one slipped threw, plastering its face with slime, and as its concentration fell, all the rest of Armor's attacks struck true. Armor ceased his volley and raced to tackle his opponent, but it caught him again and this time threw him over the side, as it had thrown Missy. As he fell, Armor felt the aura fade, and he clung to the bridge's railing.

The Alakazam looked over the side at him and began gathering psychic energy in one of its spoons to blast him into the water.

"So, gonna make me take a little dip, eh? Just like you did my friend?!" Armor said with wildness. "Fine, eh, but I hope you're ready to join me!" He poured the toxic substance that made up his body into the bridge, eating it like acid. As the Alakazam prepared to loose its attack, the portion of the bridge that Armor was clinging to--and that the Alakazam was standing on--gave way, and both pokemon plunged into the frothy waters.

Armor spun through water filthy with washed-away mud and debris. Thunder rolled powerfully above him, and rain fed the river. Already the rushing waters were carrying them far away from the bridge that had been their battlefield. Ahead of him, he saw the Alakazam's head rise from the surface of the river. It was trying to levitate out.

"Oh no you _don't_, eh!" Armor cried, flinging sludge at his adversary. It struck true, knocking the Alakazam back into the river. As Armor prepared to unleash another attack, something suddenly struck him from behind; a log, caught in the water. Armor was plunged under the froth, barreled and buffeted without restraint by the cruel river; below him he heard the deadly grinding of the great boulders.

He finally burst free into the air, staring at the lightning flashes above; ahead, the Alakazam was struggling to free itself from the water. Armor streamlined his body and cruised to meet his foe. He slammed into the Alakazam, and was struck by a spoon coalesced with energy in return; the two pokemon tore at one another under the water fiercely. The Alakazam pushed Armor away from itself and began preparing another assault, but was thrown into a stone jutting up from the water, and it flinched, dazed.

Armor saw his opportunity. He leapt on top of the Alakazam and raised his fist for a devastating punch. He sent it slamming into the Alakazam's skull, ignoring the river's attempts to knock him off of his foe. "That's for Missy, eh," he said, preparing for another blow. "And this is a warning: You--" Wham. "--will--" Wham. "--not--" Wham. "--hurt--" Wham. "--any--" Wham. "--of--" Wham. "--my--" Wham. "--friends--" Wham. "--again!" He struck one last blow to the Alakazam's face, and watched its eyes close as it fell unconscious. He let the pokemon slide out from under him and be borne away by the water.

As the heat of battle died away, all the weariness and fatigue from his fight caught up with Armor. He struggled to stay afloat. _Got to--stay up, eh--_ he thought desperately, but to no avail. He fell below the surface, far below than he had been knocked before. In the deep parts, the river was not frothy and loud, but quiet and indomitably powerful. He was swept along with ease. _The surface,_ Armor thought desperately. _Got to get to the surface._

Suddenly Armor heard a dull, rumbling roar, a roar which was neither the river nor the thunder above. The sound he heard was pure fear. As he turned in the water, facing upstream, he saw a massive shape rolling along, caught in the water, heading straight towards him. Armor knew he had no chance at avoiding it.

_Aw, shucks, eh,_ he thought, and then the boulder slammed into him.


	22. Chapter 22

Dan streaked through the rain, racing as fast as his legs could carry. He did not look back in the direction he had fled from, lest he be overcome with the desire to turn and protect his pokemon. There was little he could do, anyway. Deep down, he knew that his pokemon were more capable than he would be. They fought perfectly fine on their own. What good did he ever do in any of their battles?

_Don't think about that,_ he chided himself mentally. _You'll have time to sort out your issues after Masque and his pokemon get what's coming to them. First thing first, find the police; you need to bring them up to speed if you're going to be of any help here._

He turned the final corner, bringing him onto Main Street and in the sight of City Hall, and stopped dead in his tracks. Striding through the rain was Masque himself.

"Well, well, it's Dan! I admit I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon," the former Rocket member said affably. "How are you? Enjoying my little romp?"

"You!" Dan said, taking a step back. "What are you doing? Why are you attacking my town?"

Masque shrugged. "Because."

"Just on a whim? You just _randomly_ decided to start a massacre?!"

"Well, not completely randomly. I managed enough restraint knock out communications before I began." Masque smiled. "Porygon and Magneton can be so useful in the right situations, wouldn't you say? Now this little town won't be able to do anything but whimper as I soak it in blood."

"Call off your pokemon," Dan growled, "leave this place and tell me what you did with Luke, or--"

"Really, Dan, I wouldn't bother to finish your sentence. Perhaps it slipped your mind, but right now you are the very picture of helplessness. And if you want to see your friend, go ahead; he's in City Hall, tinkering up a machine for me, just like the one that sent you and your little sweetheart to my world in the first place."

"So that's it," Dan said. "That's what you've been after. All this was just to get a machine like that? What do you plan to do with it, jump between worlds and conquer them?"

"Dan, I'm affronted you would think of me that way;" Masque said, and he genuinely sounded insulted. "I'm not nearly that crass."

"What, then?"

"I just want to have a little fun. Maybe jump to a village in world A, kill a few people, upset the order, move on to world B, start some fires and send everyone in a terror, then on to world C where I manipulate a dictator or a crime lord for a while…and repeat _ad infinitum_ until I die. Really, why would I ever want to conquer or rule? Ruling is such a messy business. With this, I can have as much fun as I like, doing whatever I like, _wherever_ I like, and the sky's the limit."

Dan reeled with shock. "That's it? You're doing this just so you can hop between worlds, entertaining yourself by killing and destroying wherever and whatever you please?"

"Right on the money, my dear boy, good job," Masque said, clapping his hands with a smile on his face. "You're very astute."

"Luke's just a tool, then, isn't he? Just a way for you to get what you want. Is that how you see people, as tools? That must be the reason why you killed Giovanni: he stopped to be useful for you, so you got rid of him!"

"Not tools," Masque replied smoothly. "I don't see human beings as tools. That distinction is reserved for pokemon. No, I see people more as…toys. There's a distinct difference, you see. A tool is used to accomplish something, while a toy is just there to be played with.

"I wasn't using Giovanni for anything other than my own amusement," Masque said with a casual monstrosity. "And like any toy, he eventually stopped being entertaining--and when a toy bores you, there's only one thing to do: snap it in half and throw it in the garbage. That's it, end of story."

"That's disgusting," Dan said angrily. "How can a person be so monstrous? What's wrong with you?!"

For some reason this set Masque laughing. "Ahahahaha! Oh, the irony…you think a person can't be a monster? Well, I suppose that depends on the _kind_ of monster. Oh, yes, it does." He smiled madly. "But now, let's talk about a--shall we say, _unrelated_ matter. Missy, for example."

Dan's heartbeat became a painful thud in his chest. Luke's sister had been forced to the back of his mind by the recent crisis, but Masque had brought it to the forefront once again. "How have you met her? What do you know about her? Tell me!" Masque just smiled that aggravating smile of his, his eyes staring unblinking over the rim of his pearly white mask. "I've got to find her," Dan said. "It's my fault she was trapped in the pokemon world…"

"Indeed," Masque said with a small chortle. "I suppose from a certain point of view she has definitely been trapped in a world of pokemon. Hah! That was a hint, you know, a very big one! Well…I suppose I could tell you all about your dear friend's sister…but where's the fun in that? Perhaps I should string you along a bit more."

"Don't you dare," Dan said angrily, his eyes locked on Masque through his messy brown bangs. "I'm not joking, Masque, you tell me right now!" His hands balled into fists.

"Oh dear, resorting to violence?" Masque said humorously. "That'll never get you what you want. Perhaps I'll indulge your wishes…but first, a game of cat and mouse!" He turned tail and ran, through the rain, in between buildings. Dan gave furious chase.

---

Ruby didn't like the rain. It was dampening her spirits and, worse, the fires on her back. That old urban legend about fire pokemon dying if their fires were put out was nothing but hearsay--body fire could never be doused so long as its pokemon still had the will to live--but she did have to admit, nonstop rain did diminish it more than a little.

"I was happier when it was all clouds and no drizzle," she muttered. Alongside her, Nemo turned a worried eye at her.

"The sooner we get rid of Masque's pokemon, the sooner you can get out of this rain," he said.

Ruby snorted. "Was that an attempt at humor? Pathetic."

"Nope, not humor," Nemo replied quietly. "Just encouragement."

They raced through the never-ending water, ignoring the flashes of lightning and booming thunder above them. The shopping district, the place their trainer had assigned them to protect, was dead ahead.

As they neared their destination, the sound of great roars and crashes met Ruby's ears, as did the screaming of humans. She steeled her resolve.

The shopping district loomed through the rain; it was a wide circle of shops, all spread around a long stone plaza with a surprisingly elaborate fountain in the center. Many of the shops and a good number of cars in the nearby parking lot were smashed into unrecognizable oblivion.

"What happened here?" Nemo said. Before Ruby could respond, the answer showed itself.

A toy store near the edge of the plaza had its front smashed in but otherwise looked relatively intact, until a massive pokemon barreled its way through the ceiling, causing the building to collapse. It circled once in the air above the plaza before alighting in front of the two pokemon.

"Stand down," Ruby proclaimed, stepping forward. "I've been trained by a Gym Leader and my friend here is no slouch either." It roared mindlessly in response, taking a threatening step forward.

A sudden burst of lightning illuminated its figure. "What is it?" Nemo asked, looking confused, but Ruby recognized the specimen. A massive orange lizard with small wings, as well as antennae and a tiny horn on its head: a Dragonite.

"I won't warn you again," she said strongly. "Stop what you're doing now, while you still have a chance." It just gave another massive roar, followed by a beat of its wings.

"Why isn't it talking to us?" Nemo said.

"It's not in possession of its mind," Ruby responded. "Masque has brainwashed it, or something similar. Not all the pokemon here are serving him willingly."

Nemo's eyes widened. "How horrible!"

"And it's all the worse for us. This fellow's done nothing but rampage mindlessly. Unlike normal pokemon, he won't be able to bow out if he thinks defeat is imminent."

Further talk was cut off. The Dragonite spun, sending its tail slamming towards its two opponents. Ruby leapt out of the way, but Nemo was not so lucky; the tail slammed into him, knocking him away painfully. The spines on his body skewered the Dragonite's tail, but the creature didn't even respond. Ruby raced forwards, wreathing herself in flame, but the Dragonite darted back, moving much quicker than its colossal size suggested it was capable of. It fired a burst of energy at its opponent.

Ruby was knocked off her hooves, skidding across the stone floor of the plaza painfully. Nemo, utilizing one of his favorite tricks, squirted water at the ground to send himself flying. As he fell, he angled his body directly at the Dragon-type.

The Dragonite would not allow itself to be caught off-guard, though. It spun to meet the Seadra with a punch; Ruby saw that fire danced around its fist. Ruby remembered that Dragon-types were known to be adept at mastering moves of other types. The punch slammed into Nemo, and he flew backwards. Thankfully, the Water-type seemed to have taken only minimal damage from the fire. However, the dragon gathered energy for a blast.

Ruby was back upright at this point. "Not on my watch!" She shouted, racing forward and catching the Dragonite in the side with a powerful headbutt. The dragon recoiled, the energy dissipating away, and before it could react, a jet of ink from Nemo found its way into the beast's eyes. It reeled back, roaring madly, and the Seadra lunged forwards, sending his spikes into the orange pokemon's massive belly.

Ruby gathered as much flame as she could and shot it at her foe; Nemo followed suit with a powerful jet of water. Both attacks struck the Dragonite, forcing it to give ground. It grunted, and with a beat of its wings drove off their attack. The gust slammed into both pokemon, knocking the breath from them, and then the Dragonite brought its foot down upon the stone of the plaza. The pokemon was clearly using some kind of ability or move, because a massive tremor shook the plaza, cracking the stone in places; Ruby was thrown painfully against the ground as she lost her footing. The Dragonite lunged straight at her; Ruby put up a shield of flame to protect herself, but the Dragonite simply surrounded its fist with fire once again in response. It shrugged off her flames like they were nothing--damn those Dragon-types and their infinite resistances!--and its blaze tore through hers, striking Ruby's body as the Dragonite punched her.

It raised a massive foot to crush her, but Nemo shot through the rain and stabbed his spines into the Dragonite's torso; it grappled with the Seadra for a moment before throwing it to the ground. Before Nemo could move, its tail struck him again, and as he bounced across the stone, it followed suit with a blast of energy.

Nemo was quivering after the attack was over, still conscious, but the Dragonite flew over to it and used a claw to grab Nemo by his entire face. It lifted the squirming Seadra effortlessly, then spun around and flung him powerfully; Nemo spiraled through the rain before slamming painfully into the stonework of the plaza's fountain; he dropped wordlessly into the fountain's pool.

Ruby shakily stood upright, leering at the Dragonite through the storm. She was certain that Nemo had been knocked unconscious.

"Well then," she said between panting breaths, "It's just you and me, isn't it?"

---

Missy was battered by the river, her small form churned over and over by the water. She fought to keep herself as near to the surface as possible. For what seemed an eternity, the water barreled around her; lightning in the sky taunted her, thunder rang in her ears, mixing with the roar of the river.

Finally, the water lulled for just a moment, and she desperately swam to the shore; she finally crawled onto land, shivering, her fur soaked harder than a downpour could ever hope to achieve. She collapsed, spitting up filthy water.

After a while, she finally got her breathing under control, and stood up again. She was at a place in town she had never seen; there were no houses or buildings in sight, both banks of the river flanked by trees and undergrowth.

She turned and stared at the river, watching the massive water roll past. _Good luck, Armor,_ she thought, hoping he could overcome the Alakazam.

A sudden rustling in the bushes behind her made her spin around. Missy stared through the rain as a squat, semi-human figure emerged from the growth.

It was the Hypno. _Greetings,_ a voice spoke in Missy's mind, making her jump. _I have been waiting for you._

"I know you," Missy whispered, recognizing the tapir-like pokemon. "You were Giovanni's first pokemon back when we fought against him in Saffron."

_Indeed. However, I truly serve Master Masque and none other. I have recently shown myself as one of his most reliable lieutenants. It was I whom he relied on to escape from the prison the humans trapped him in. It was I who guided him through the starry void when all hope seemed lost. I wish to prove myself his most dedicated servant. I must continue this string of successes to gain his favor. He seems to hold a special interest in you, gray one, as does his favorite subordinate, the great green insect. If I bring you back to his base in the City Hall, my star can only rise further._

"Get back," Missy said, taking one hesitant step backwards. Only one; the river ringed her in.

_Do you know that when you travel through the starry void, you leave a trace of yourself, a whispering image?_ the Hypno said, ignoring her. _That's how I found your world: I followed the shadow you left behind. As your shadow passed different worlds, my powers showed me images, visions; visions of you, and the lives you lived, in different worlds than this. In alternate worlds. _He held out his hand, and a sparkling pendulum dropped from it.

"Get away!" Missy screamed, baring her fangs and crouching for an attack.

_It is not my style to drag you to the Master unconscious and prone. Rather, let me send you into an endless dream of your other lives. Let me show you what might have been…_

Missy could only watch, transfixed, as the pendulum slowly swung from side to side, and the Hypno's eyes turned a sinister blue…

---

Luke was finally finished with his machine, the one that played Game Boy games in 3D. Missy caught sight of him running down to the basement where he tinkered on all his bizarre creations, and that friend of his--Dan, wasn't it?--followed with him.

Missy sighed. She loved her brother, but he could be a real dork sometimes. And none of his inventions worked, anyways. She kind of wanted to watch his newest project fail so that she could rib Luke like she always did, but that big science project was due tomorrow. She sat down in her room and got to work.

Ten minutes later, the power in the house flickered, and to her alarm, there was a sound from the basement like a great vacuum, and behind it the yelling of two teenage boys. She leapt from her chair and raced downstairs; when she was halfway to the basement the noise stopped. She burst into Luke's workshop, but she saw with unease that it was completely empty. The strange machine was running, though. She carefully worked her way through the various mechanical clutter on the floor. She whispered the names of her brother and his friend fearfully into the silence. There was no answer.

Missy shivered, but as she turned to run upstairs and phone her parents the world seemed to spin, and she caught sight of her reflection on the surface of one of Luke's metal creations, and she thought her reflection had yellow fur and vivid blue eyes…

Dan surrendered, calling back Nemo before the pokemon had a chance to fight Rico's great Gyarados. Rico took Dan by the arm and marched him back into the base, past the fearful escaped pokemon, all of whom were being shepherded by Tyrant.

Rico presented Missy to Giovanni as a gift, but she refused to accept her new lot in life so casually, and bit the crime lord's hand when he reached out to stroke her lustrous fur. She expected to be killed for her defiance, but Giovanni was impressed with her coloring and instead chose to take steps ensuring that she would never dare show such spunk again.

They had her defanged and declawed, and they starved and beat her. When she was sent back a week after the incident, Giovanni looked smug despite the half-healed bite on his hand. Missy was perfectly meek, a shadow of her former self. She was always near Giovanni, his eternal pet, his most prized trophy. She watched as he pursued his ambitions in Saffron. She watched as Rico's identity as a double agent was discovered and he was ordered put to death. She watched as Team Rocket grew in power and influence.

One day Masque entered, bringing his Scyther with him. Before Giovanni could do so much as scowl, the Scyther stained his blades with Giovanni's blood. Missy backed away, defenseless, as Masque turned to her, a wicked smile on his face.

He thanked her for blessing him with the knowledge of other worlds, and for inspiring him to leave behind a life as Giovanni's puppet master. He promised to repay her by reuniting her with Dan.

With that, the Scyther casually stepped forward and ran his blade along her throat. Missy collapsed, blood staining her silver mane, and as Masque left, she felt herself slipping from life. She barely noticed the tingling in her body as the fur retracted, the strange feeling of her form expanding. Her body lit up; she was human again, transformed in her dying moments. The last thing she would see would be Giovanni's bloodied corpse, but suddenly it turned and smiled a bloodstained smile at her. Giovanni's eyes were vivid blue, and behind him the image of a great pendulum swung…

"No," Missy murmured, thrashing against the imposing force of a million different paths her life might have taken, "stop it…"

It was Dan who touched the ball of light, and Missy was sucked into the strange dimensional vortex. She twisted between dimensions and awoke in a strange building, nudged awake by a strange creature like a dog with black stripes and red fur.

Lost, Missy wandered in the building, searching for a way home, searching for Dan. The animal that had awoken her trailed after her, barking frantically, trying to tell her something. There were tears in its eyes.

Missy eventually wandered her way into a town named Cinnabar Island, the dog-like creature at her heels the entire time. She learned that he was a pokemon called a 'Growlithe', and slowly the impossible thought crept into her mind: had Luke's machine sent her to the world of pokemon?

After a few weeks, she sadly accepted that she was never going home. She settled down in the pokemon world, eking out a living. She never bothered catching or training the pokemon themselves, but she did let the Growlithe live with her; he seemed quite attached to her.

Missy lived for decades and by the time she was an old woman, thoughts of Luke and her parents and her old universe rarely crossed her head. She sometimes thought about Dan, if only to ponder whether he too had been sent to this world, and wonder what had happened to him.

When the hairs on her head were gray, and it hurt to so much as move, the strangest thing happened. The Growlithe had endured into old age along with her, and the older he got, the weaker his heart became. One night Missy woke to the sound of him thrashing on the floor, howling as tears leaked out of his eyes. She crawled out of bed, but as she did so, the poor thing began glowing, and became an elderly man. Dumbstruck, she fell back onto her creaky old bed in shock, thinking this was a strange dream, this was a nightmare conjured by her failing mind.

Suddenly, the world twisted, and the ancient man had eyes of blue, and Missy was no longer an old woman, she was a human girl…no, she was an Eevee…

Missy tried to fight as she shifted between lives. But what was she fighting? She didn't know. There was a cold chuckle in the corner of her mind, and the image of superblue eyes flashed before her…

Missy fell through the universes, her body twisting into that of a strange gray creature. She landed in a decrepit, rubble-strewn building. Dan was on the ground nearby. She nudged her new, animal-like nose against his face, but he was unconscious. Confused and frightened by her sudden transformation and the strange place where she had been flung, she fled.

There were strange, talking creatures in the building; some nice, some sinister, some evil. In the deepest recesses of the abandoned manor, she was attacked by a creature that could spew fire. She fought back using abilities and reflexes she had never known before, instincts that came bundled with her new body.

During the fight, it prepared to loose flames at her, but she knocked it on its back. The flames flew upwards, smashing into the cracked roof above, and suddenly rubble was falling from the ceiling. Missy coughed as dust filled her lungs, but her coughing was cut short as part of the roof slammed into her. She was knocked under the debris, and felt it crush everything in her body. She was in immense pain.

Missy struggled vainly under the debris, but could not move. The pain worsened, and Missy's vision got blurry, and suddenly there was an odd feeling as her body shimmered with lights; the strange furry body was gone, and she was a girl again. She tried to speak, but crimson blood was pouring into her mouth like a fountain, and as she died, she swore she heard a chuckle and saw a pair of blue eyes hovering over her…

And then the blood, and the rubble, and even the pain were gone. Missy was in the midst of a million lives. Suddenly one started becoming more real than the others, and she saw images of Dan, and the machine, and a white sphere.

"No," she murmured, "get back!" As the vision tried to immerse her she fought and twisted, and it slowly fell away.

_What's this?_ A voice whispered in the back of her head. _You resist? Very well, what shall I show you? One where you and Dan are both transformed into pokemon and wander the world together, a confused Eevee and a bewildered Growlithe? Should I show you a life where the machine explodes, killing you, your brother, and his friend? Or perhaps you'd like to see the life where you and Dan made small talk, and Dan never laughed; he never sprayed the wiring, and when Luke started the machine up again, it simply broke down, and you lived the rest of your life as an average girl, never knowing…_

"Let me go!" Missy wailed; she vaguely felt aware of her body, and she thrashed wildly, trying to escape the Hypno's illusion.

_Perhaps one where Blaine catches and trains you while Dan leaves Cinnabar to find his way home, and never returns…perhaps I'll show you the life where Team Rocket enters you into their breeding program to try and get odd-colored pokemon to sell. You give birth to dozens of Eevee, all with a wide variety of astounding and beautiful pelts…_

"NO!" Missy screamed, and suddenly she felt aware of things beyond the illusion, of rain against her fur and of thunder in her ears. She forced her eyes open and the illusion fell away completely; she was bound in psychic energy, hovering near the Hypno, who was marching through the abandoned streets; she struggled and struggled against the psychic hold on her.

The Hypno turned and looked at his captive. _We can't have that,_ the voice in her mind said. It raised the pendulum to swing once more, and those eyes--those horrible, horrible eyes, they were shining blue once more. _Back into your endless dream you go…_

Missy screamed in desperation and, mustering all her willpower, she flung herself against the psychic hold, breaking free. The Hypno took a shocked step back, and before it could do anything, Missy charged at her captor, headbutting him in the stomach. He was knocked off his feet, the pendulum flying away.

The Hypno stretched out his hand, beckoning his trinket using his powers, but before he moved it more than a foot, Missy's fangs met his arm. He shrieked and punched her with his other hand, but Missy let go before the hit could connect, spinning high in the air. She smashed into his back forcing him to collapse onto the street with a painful crash.

Before he could rise, Missy was on top of him, biting and scratch and kicking with a primal fury she had never felt before in her life. Finally she fell away from the Hypno, collapsing onto the street with sobs. The Hypno did not rise; she had battered him into unconsciousness.

Missy closed her eyes as she wept, trying uselessly to banish the Hypno's visions from her brain. They paraded in front of her mind's eye, filling her with dread.

Slowly, she became aware of other sounds besides the patter of rain on the road and the thunder rolling overhead. There were screams of pokemon, cries of people. She shakily stood up. There were others here she had to save.

She slowly started down the road again, but the recesses of her mind still teemed with the dark things she had seen in the myriad illusions.

And, in the deepest pits of her mind, she despaired over the one thing she hated most about the visions.

They confirmed what the mysterious figure in Pokemon Tower had told her. If she wanted to become human again…

The only way was to die.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	23. Chapter 23

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the penultimate chapter; the final one will be uploaded in a few days.

"Gerald, I want you to listen closely to me. You can wander off, but don't leave sight of the house. And stay close to Tuber at all times!"

"Aw Mom, I'm big now-I can handle it! Stop worrying!"

Tuber never stopped thinking those were happy times. They lived on the outskirts of a tiny town, skirting the edge of the nearby forest. He'd been born in that forest, found and caught by the happy young couple when he was still small. The happy couple who were his trainers were parents also, of an infant son named Gerald. They raised them together: pokemon and boy, side by side.

Tuber's current friends would not recognize him if they saw him then. He was happy and energetic, and always smiling. He and Gerald would frolic and play together in those glad times; through the grass, under the clouds, laughing all the way.

Gerald's parents made it clear to Tuber, however, that when the two were together Gerald's safety was up to the little pokemon. Tuber hadn't thought it unfair. It seemed right. He regarded Gerald like a little brother, and nothing was more important to him than the boy's safety.

When the two were especially young, they could not leave the yard. As they grew older, however, the boundaries were stretched, loosened. The first jump was when Gerald was still quite young. "You can get to the edge of Daddy's garden, but don't you dare step past that fence!" The boundaries of Gerald's and Tuber's adventures were expanded further and further as time went by.

"Keep the house in sight, Gerald!"

"You can go to the stream, but don't cross it!"

"Only to the dirt road on the other side of the woods, do you hear me?"

And, finally, "You can go wherever you'd like, son, but be back by nightfall, alright?"

Always, however, was the eternal tradeoff: "Stay close to Tuber at all times!" How many times had the duo heard that? More times than the little pokemon could remember. And each time he secretly puffed up with self-worth, confident in the knowledge that as long as Gerald was with him, nothing bad could ever happen.

Nothing.

When Gerald turned ten, the traditional age for trainers to begin their journeys, the boy's choice of a first pokemon was clear. Gerald had known Tuber would be his partner since before he was old enough to form full sentences. On his birthday the happy young child stepped out the door, a smile on his face and a spring in his step, with Tuber-his pokemon, his friend, his brother-at his side. The two smiling, proud parents waved goodbye to their son, and just before they dropped out of sight, the wind carried their final advice:

"Stay close to Tuber at all times!"

Before the first week was out, Gerald and Tuber had their first real adventure of their own. A strange pokemon was stalking them through the woods-but poorly, noisily. Tuber and his companion were wary at first, but soon rationalized their pursuer meant them no harm. That evening, as they slept, the creature slipped into their camp and stole some food.

The second day passed the same-Gerald and his pokemon were pursued by a pokemon moving louder than a herd of Donphan, and that night more food went missing. The third day, the duo plotted excitedly as they walked along, the mysterious pokemon crashing behind them, and that evening they set a trap and caught the thief.

It was an Electabuzz. Tuber was at first overjoyed to know that the thief had been caught, but saw that she was emaciated and bony, no doubt starving. Gerald was similarly moved and, after freeing his captive, sent the pokemon food to speed her along her way.

The Electabuzz instead did an astonishing thing: upon recognizing Gerald's gift, she bounded forward and caught the trainer in a hug, then quickly did the same to Tuber as well. The energetic pokemon eventually joined Gerald's team as his second pokemon; she was named Glimmer.

As time went on and Gerald's journey continued; the group picked up additional pokemon and traveled to the great cities of Kanto. Today, Cerulean; next month, Saffron; their travels eventually led them to Celadon.

It began simply enough, the end of those happy times. Gerald took part in battles amongst other trainers his age, as he always did in a new town. His pokemon easily swept the competition. The other trainers took notice.

So did Team Rocket.

The night before Gerald meant to leave the city, thugs snuck in. They only meant to steal the pokemon, but when the boy woke up and raised a ruckus, he too was dragged away.

The base was like hell. One by one Tuber's compatriots were led away, spirited to a mysterious room where an eerily grinning man with a mask waited; the pokemon always came back a little quieter. Eventually, they stopped coming back.

Deep down, Tuber knew what was happening. The masked one had strange powers and was making pokemon into the slaves of Team Rocket. He worried about his teammates, but ultimately as long as Gerald was sitting tight in the cell next to his, still safe, Tuber could stay calm. Gerald was his responsibility. As long as Gerald was all right, Tuber would be also.

When Tuber and Glimmer were the only ones of the group still themselves, Gerald had had enough. He tried to break out of his cell, and when the guards came, he fought them. They underestimated the boy, not expecting such desperation from a first-year trainer. Gerald managed to actually hurt some of them. Angrily, they led him away-and he never came back.

That was the beginning of Tuber's downfall. He broke. Nothing that happened after that mattered. His visits with the masked man, whom he had previously managed to more or less ignore, became progressively sinister. The masked man got inside his head, whispered insidious things. Tuber's despair and cynicism grew with each visit. Eventually, strange things began happening during Tuber's visits with the masked man. When the vicious human whispered those terrible words and smiled his poisonous smile, Tuber was at his bleakest-and sometimes, when he was at his bleakest, he felt…different. Sometimes, strange thoughts crossed his head. Thoughts about serving Team Rocket.

Tuber pondered this foreign feeling back in his cell, and realized that soon he too would be nothing more than a puppet for murderers. He didn't care. Gerald was dead. He had failed. The smiling, waving parents would never see their son again. Gerald would never smile again. He would never frolic and gambol in the woods and gardens.

"Stay close to Tuber at all times!" What good advice that had seemed.

However, something else slowly grew in place of Tuber's despair. Resolve. He swore to himself that to atone for his eternal failure, he would protect as many people as he could. Especially children.

And so when another youth occupied Gerald's old cell, Tuber and Glimmer joined themselves to his crew, determined to live out their lives as protectors and guardians.

With a new trainer came new names. Glimmer became Artemis…and Tuber received a title fitting his new cynicism. Nightshade.

-

The schoolyard was an arena. Artemis spun through the grass of the school's playing field. The lightning in the sky above was like a mirror to the fight below; electricity sparked from her claws and the nodes on her head, and she shot burst after burst at her opponents.

They numbered four: a Raticate, a Mankey, a Weepinbell, and their Aerodactyl leader. The great stone beast circled in the sky above, out of reach of Nightshade's plants and shielded by the rain and the dark clouds. Only the occasional flash of lightning betrayed his silhouette against the sky. Every now and then he let out a roar-not to encourage his lackeys, or discourage into his opponents. Rather, the Aerodactyl's shrieks were meant to draw screams from the assembled children inside of the besieged school.

Artemis knew what the Aerodactyl was doing. For all his big talk, he was nothing more than a particularly vicious bully, and bullies were cowards: they preferred to hang back, and not enter the fray until they were assured to come out on top. The Aerodactyl was hiding in the sky, not willing to join the battle until his lackeys weakened the two opposing pokemon.

Don't think so, Artemis thought. The Raticate lunged for her, wide incisors seeking to rip into her flesh. She caught it with a punch and followed up with a burst of electricity; when she heard Nightshade yell from behind her, the Electabuzz turned and ran to help her partner.

"Hang-on-Nightshade-I'm-coming!" Artemis cried. Her boundless energy served her well in battle; she rarely got exhausted, and she was quite fast. On the downside she also talked very quickly, a habit which did not always endear her to other pokemon.

Nightshade was making use of his small size as he leapt through the structures of the school's playground. The Oddish wove through the metal bars of the jungle gym and ducked under slides and seesaws. However, his pursuers were also small pokemon, and they were gaining on him. Just as the Mankey lunged forward, ready to deliver a blow to his prey, one of Artemis' electrical blasts caught him and threw him aside. The Weepinbell turned just in time to take a blow from Artemis. She laced her attack with electricity, but the Weepinbell shrugged it off; Grass-types resisted Electric-types.

Thunder boomed above them, and as it died down, Artemis became aware of a sudden scuffling behind her; she instinctively jumped to the side, but the Raticate still caught her. Artemis and her opponent rolled across the ground, grappling with one another. Artemis began gathering energy between the nodes on her head, but it dissipated as she lost concentration-the Raticate's fangs had torn into her arm.

The sounds of battle registered in her ears-Nightshade was engaging the other two pokemon. Artemis yanked her arm free, gritting her teeth to ignore the sharp tearing pain, and headbutted the Raticate's skull. As the rodent-like pokemon reeled back, she grabbed it with both claws and sent surge after surge of electricity into its body before flinging it away. The Raticate made an arc into the air, slamming into the entwined metal constructs of the jungle gym. It hung limply on the metal bars for a few moments before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Artemis turned to rejoin her partner in battle. Vegetation was quickly overrunning the playground; briars erupted from the soil, flowers bloomed randomly, and deceptively toxic pollen floated in the breeze. Nightshade and the Weepinbell were engaged in a battle of plants. The Mankey lay unconscious on the ground; it looked as though it had been caught in the crossfire of the dueling Grass-types.

As Artemis neared the two pokemon, a new sound registered amidst the tumult of the storm. It was like a regular dull beat, and growing louder. She realized what it was when the children of the school began to scream in unison; Artemis spun just in time to see the Aerodactyl headed straight for her.

One of the creature's massive claws slammed into her; it was like being hit by a train. She flew through the air, winded, and struck painfully against the school's wall. She collapsed to the ground but only had a few moments to touch the earth before the vise-like grip of the Aerodactyl's claw gripped her body. She weakly shocked it but it seemed unfazed even with a type disadvantage; it lifted her high into the air before letting go.

Artemis spun through the sky, a million things spiraling past her line of sight: stormy clouds so dark gray they might be black, arcs of lightning, tall trees whipped about by the wind. She crashed into the school's roof, and immediately fought to stay conscious.

I-can't give up, she thought, struggling to right herself. Nightshade can't handle this guy alone, and the kids…we have to protect them…

The Aerodactyl circled the school before alighting on the edge of the roof. It gazed down at her with a smug smile on its face.

"You're actually still moving? Hah! You've got spunk." He stretched his wings and beat them slowly, ominously; the sound was so great it overpowered even the noise of the storm. "You'll be the first to go. Then your little friend down there. And then all the children in this building. And there is nothing you can do to stop it."

That last taunt lit a fire beneath Artemis' resolve. Her mind cleared; she straightened and stood properly, her prior weariness banished by her hatred of the enemy. "There's plenty I can do," she said, and her normally quick-fire voice was cut down to a foreboding calm. "You just watch."

-

Forever. I'm an Eevee forever. And the only way back is death.

Missy wandered through the drenched streets of her hometown, rain soaking her fur through. She tried desperately to move away from the subject, to return to the matters at hand, but that was proving difficult thanks to the spectacle Masque's Hypno had put her through. The endless visions paraded through her train of thought.

The desperation she had banished earlier that day, when she had awoken to find herself still in an Eevee's body, threatened to return again. The despair of the visions was like a beckoning light for it.

I can't tell anyone. I'll never be able to let them know. Dan, my whole family-I'll be next to them the whole time, my whole entire life, and they'll never know. She wandered beneath trees, past houses, slowly moving towards the city proper-the rain-soaked river had carried her far from the main part of town.

The sounds of pokemon and humans reached her ears. Wait. I can't lose myself now. There's a job I have to do. I-

A sudden whirring sound met her ears. Missy knew that sound. She turned her head in the direction of the noise; squinting, her keen Eevee eyes barely made out a fast-approaching green shape through the rain. The fact that she had known deep down that this confrontation was inevitable did not stop her heart from filling with dread. The Scyther.

He perched on a street light, leering down at her. "Well, there you are, little prey. I've been looking for you." He raised the notched blade against the sky; lightning flashed as if on cue, illuminating the chink Missy had put there. "I just want to tell you, this didn't ruin me like I thought it would. I'm still quite deadly, and this little flaw actually gives me a-how to put this?-sense of menace, I think. It sets me apart from common-grade Scyther. Makes me memorable."

He lowered the blade and assumed a threatening position. "You might as well start running, though; I'm a pokemon who keeps his promises, and I told you back in that arena that you'd pay for this." He smirked. "This time, you don't have an entire cell filled with pokemon to help you overcome me. This time, there's not dozens of humans for you to cower behind. This time, you die."

"You don't have to be this way," Missy said quickly. "Why are you doing this?" She knew that there was no way she would be able to talk the Scyther out of the violence he wanted. She was simply grasping at straws-trying desperately to stall him in a conversation while she thought of a plan.

"I already told you," he responded. "This is revenge for what you did to me back in Saffron."

"No, I mean-why are you like this? Pokemon aren't supposed to be like this! They were thought up, created by someone in this world, as entertainment for children! Things like you weren't supposed to be part of the deal!"

The Scyther gave a low chuckle. "You really think that I was created by a bored game designer here in your world? I have trouble swallowing that idea. But even if I was-it was remarkably short-sighted to make a world filled with intelligent creatures and then give some of us powerful, dangerous abilities. Who would honestly make a species of super-fast sentient insects with blades for arms and then act surprised when one of them decided to turn his natural gifts to destruction? I say if there is a creator, then he shares in the guilt of whatever evil his creations do."

He lunged off the streetlight, blades poised. Missy ducked and slid underneath her assailant on the rain-slick ground, and as he shot past her she ran straight ahead, putting as much distance between herself and the psychotic Bug-type as she could. She did not look back, even when his voice rang after her.

"Keep running if you think it'll help, weakling! I'm faster than you, I'm stronger than you, and you can only hide for so long!"

The whirring sound of his wings reached her through the rain once more, and though she ran with as much speed as an Eevee could muster, Missy could tell from the sound that the Scyther was slowly getting closer.

As she raced through the streets, the still-despairing recesses of her mind threatened to renew her gloom. I should just let him catch me, moaned a small yet enticing part of her brain. Then all this can be over and I'll be back to normal. I can be human again…

Stop it! Missy argued against herself. She ran past an abandoned house, in flames. As she neared the center of town, the destruction became more pronounced. The shrieks of pokemon and their human targets became louder and louder. This isn't about me! Lots of people are suffering-are **dying!** The Scyther's not the only enemy here. It's Masque! If I want to help, if I want to save everyone, I need to do something about him! I need to-

Something clicked inside her head. The coexisting thoughts about stopping Masque and allowing the Scyther to kill her merged, forming a new idea-a new plan. If she played her cards right, she could stop Masque and hopefully save her town as well.

It would be dangerous to Missy herself. Possibly fatal. But at that moment, Missy didn't care all that much.

-  
The Dragonite roared, swinging its fist at Ruby; she leapt back, barely dodging the blow. Her hooves skidded dangerously against the rain-coated plaza, and she struggled to maintain her balance. Since Nemo had been removed from the fight by being flung into the fountain, she had been fighting a downhill battle. However well-trained she was, she couldn't effectively deal with a creature with the sort of power the Dragonite had, especially since it resisted her flames.

Ruby shot another fireball at the Dragonite, who shrugged off her flames and counterattacked with an energy blast. Ruby dodged the attack, but the ensuing explosion knocked her off her hooves; she skidded painfully against the ground. Before she could rise, the Dragonite was there, and with a mindless grunt it struck Ruby's body with a powerful kick. The Ponyta was flung even further back, where she cringed against the ground; pain wracked her body. There was a series of thudding sounds as the Dragonite took heavy steps towards her; it picked her up by the face, much as it had Nemo, and then flung her through the rainy air.

She landed against the plaza again, and the sound of the Dragonite roaring triumphantly reached her ears. Ruby's mind was nearly in a haze, but even then her pride still reeled against this apparent assumption of victory.

He thinks he's won? she thought. No. He hasn't won. I refuse to be beaten! Not like this! She forced herself to stand upright, and turned to face her opponent. The Dragon-type was standing in the plaza, massive and seemingly invincible, with its face to the stormy sky; it roared to the clouds.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the great beast's body. Ruby saw numerous wounds: bruises, burns, even skewering from Nemo's physical attacks. The creature was more battered than it was letting on. It's not unstoppable, Ruby thought. Not by a long shot. If I can just wear it down some more…

Ruby charged towards her enemy, her hooves making clipped sounds against the plaza; as she raced, she focused her mind, and her fiery mane expanded, wreathing her entire body. As she lit up, she caught the Dragonite's eye; it ceased its victory roar moments before Ruby slammed into its belly. The Dragonite was pushed backwards by the force of the blow, forced to give ground.

Ruby's skull barreled into its torso, knocking the wind from her opponent; she raised her head, still covered-as was the rest of her body-with powerful flames, and gave the Dragon-type a powerful headbutt. It reeled back, pressing against the fountain it had previously flung Nemo into. Ruby lunged forward again, this time intending to rake her opponent with her hooves; however, the Dragonite was not going to accept defeat so readily. As Ruby flew towards it, the Dragonite brought its fist forward, ringed with fire of its own.

The two pokemon's attacks connected, and Ruby collapsed as the Dragonite's blow hit her. The fire dissipated from her body. She struggled to get up, but before she could muster enough energy the Dragonite caught her in a choking grip with both arms. Ruby thrashed uselessly as her opponent squeezed tighter and tighter. It was trying to crush her.

Just as Ruby was about to give up hope, the fountain's water suddenly began to churn and bubble; it steamed from the structure in long feelers, binding the Dragonite. Ruby's foe released her as it grappled with this new threat. Ruby watched in amazement as Nemo revealed himself from the waters of the fountain.

"Don't count me out yet!" the Seadra said between panting breaths. He was clearly battered even if he was still conscious, and exhausting himself with this new effort. He shot water at the Dragonite while continuing to direct the feelers to grapple with it; however, the Dragonite was fighting against the liquid.

Ruby was up to her feet at this point; she rushed and slammed into her foe's back. As the Dragonite staggered, the water from the fountain rose into the air, solidifying into ice, and then battered the titanic pokemon. This was too much for the massive enemy to handle; it buckled to the plaza with a powerful thud.

Nemo collapsed as well, the panting breaths increasing. "S-sorry I took so long to get back into the fight," he apologized, obviously fighting to stay awake. "I had to force myself to stay conscious…"

"No problem," Ruby said tenderly, bending down to nuzzle the Seadra. "I would have lost if it wasn't for you. You were amazing."

"You really…think…?" Nemo said weakly.

"Yeah, I do. Why don't you get some rest?"

The Seadra acquiesced, letting loose his last strenuous holds of consciousness.

Ruby straightened. Their job was done; they had stopped the Dragonite from rampaging across the shopping district. Now what?

Now, she thought, I go for the source. If she knew anything about Masque, he'd be in the most grand, luxurious building in town. She vaguely remembered seeing one on their way over to the shopping district; that would be her first stop.

Watch out, Masque, she thought. There will be a reckoning.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	24. Chapter 24

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here it is, the final chapter. It was a fun run-I hope you all liked my story. Thanks for reading.

EDIT: I'm making a sequel! Once you're done with Storm Clouds, check it out on my deviantART account. My username is the same there as it is here, deeman45.

Artemis shot bolt after bolt at her opponent, but the Aerodactyl shrugged most of them off and dodged the rest. _Doesn't anything stop this guy?_ Artemis thought desperately as her adversary circled in the sky above. She tried to avoid looking too much towards the sky, not wanting to drown her eyes in rain.

The Rock-type descended from the air, and Artemis shot a burst of electricity at her foe. Her attack didn't so much as even slow her opponent, and at it bore down upon her she dodged to the side, rolling across the roof of the school. Below she heard the gasps of the children she was trying to protect.

The Aerodactyl took to the air once again. So long as it controlled the skies, it had the eternal advantage; the whole open air was available to it, while Artemis was limited to the roof of one solitary building.

_I'll never beat it this way,_ Artemis thought. _I've got to lure it here somehow, get it to stay out of the sky._

"Hey-you-big-moron!" Artemis screamed, shooting multiple blasts of lightning at the Aerodatcyl. She didn't expect any to hit him, but they did have their intended effect: aggravating her opponent. "You-stupid-stupid-COWARD!"

That got him. She already knew he was a coward-why else would he hang back and let his lackeys do all the work?-and one of the most effective ways of angering a coward was calling them out on it.

The moment the taunt reached her enemy's ears, he swerved in the air, making a dive right for Artemis. Rather than preparing to jump out of the way as she normally did, the Electric-type braced herself the impact.

_This is gonna hurt,_ she thought wryly, and then the Aerodactyl struck her. Artemis fought to keep her breath in, and she didn't resist the force of the Aerodactyl's attack, instead allowing it to sweep her along. She kept one hand firmly gripping its body to give her a hold, while she gathered electricity in her spare hand until her claws sparked. With those claws, she took a handful of the sensitive membrane of the creature's left wing…

…and _ripped._

Immediately the Aerodactyl gave a shriek, accompanied by a sudden churning and tumbling of his flightpath. With only one wing to support him, he crashed into the school's rooftop. As he lay there, collapsed, Artemis grabbed his body with both claws and poured as much electricity as she could into her opponent. The Aerodactyl gave even more screams and spasmed wildly, eventually knocking Artemis away.

The Aerodactyl composed itself and rose, fixing Artemis with a death glare. "Very clever, grounding me," he said, moving his left wing with a wince. The rip in the membrane looked very nasty. "But in the long scheme of things, all you've done-besides royally pissing me off-is trap yourself in an area where I can brutalize you quickly and efficiently. Even with all those zaps and this wound slowing me down, I'm more than a match for you."

He roared and sped forward with terrible speed, seemingly unhindered by his damaged wing. His skull crashed into Artemis' torso, sending her flat on her back and making her vision swirl; suddenly he was there, titanic claws ripping into her fur and flesh, his good wing buffeting her repeatedly. Lightning flashed above as his mouth was bared in a snarl of hatred, and those terrible jaws lowered threateningly. Soon they would be tearing into her body…

Suddenly, a burst of spores met the Aerodactyl's face. The dragon reeled back, screaming as his eyes turned crimson. A small plant-like figure zoomed over her; Nightshade, obviously finished with the Weepinbell down below, was coming to her rescue. The Grass-type slammed into his opponent, but bounced off uselessly.

_Of course…_Artemis thought. _Nightshade doesn't have any plants to control up here. He's at a major disadvantage._ She struggled weakly, wishing to help her ally, but all the battle's wounds had weakened her to such a degree that she wasn't even able to right herself. She watched as Nightshade prepared another payload of spores to bombard the Aerodactyl's face with. However, as the Oddish began to use his ability, the Aerodactyl responded with a bellow and swung his good wing through the air. The wind blew away the pollen and knocked Nightshade away. Immediately the Aerodactyl was on top of the little Oddish, savaging him brutally.

Claws the size of Nightshade's own body ripped and tore. The wings beat like bludgeons. The great gaping mouth mauled the Grass-type's body mercilessly. Finally the Aerodactyl gathered Nightshade in his teeth and shook his prey before flinging him off, past the edge of the school's roof and down, down to the ground below.

As Artemis saw Nightshade hurtling past, something woke within her. Was it a second wind? Or a third? Even a fourth? Whatever happened, the Electabuzz was suddenly on her feet, howling madly. She raced towards the Aerodactyl, fueled by bloodlust. It tried to buffet her with its wings, but she ducked under the blows smoothly. She gathered energy to her fist and caught the Aerodactyl's chin with an electrical uppercut. As it flinched, she grabbed him with both claws and shocked it as much as she could: again, and again, and again.

When that was done, Artemis called on strength she never knew she had and threw her opponent bodily. The Aerodactyl struck the rooftop and skidded, struggling to right himself. As her enemy struggled on the roof, Artemis raced up to him and caught him with a headbutt. He staggered back, teetering dangerously close to the roof's edge. Artemis gathered all that remained of her body's electrical power into a huge current of energy between the nodes on her head. She sent the blast hurtling towards the Aerodactyl; he was knocked off the roof by her attack.

As he fell, his damaged wing fluttered uselessly as he tried to get himself airborne. The Aerodactyl slammed into the school's jungle gym with a painful cracking noise; the metal construct caved in under the giant pokemon's weight, and the gym's bars snapped as he was caught in a mesh of broken metal. Some of the bars pierced his hide and wings; blood slowly but indomitably crept out of the piercing wounds and trailed down the metal, mixing with rainwater.

Artemis shimmied down the drainpipe, and caught a glimpse of her foe's weak struggles in his soon-to-be grave. "This wasn't supposed to happen," the Aerodactyl whispered in a weak and fearful voice. "It wasn't supposed to be me who died…"

As the Aerodactyl went still, Artemis raced over to another pokemon lying on the ground: Nightshade. As she drew nearer, she saw just how badly the Aerodactyl had mauled the poor pokemon. He was more badly battered and bruised than she had ever seen him. Amazingly, he was not unconscious; for reasons she couldn't explain, Artemis thought that was ominous.

Nightshade's eyes were wide and staring; he gazed past his partner unblinking, not even noticing her. He was delirious in his pain.

"I've got to get up," he said, and he began struggling weakly. "I need to save them. Need to. It's my responsibility."

"Nightshade?" Artemis ventured. She forced herself to speak slowly, hoping her words would reach him that way. "Nightshade? It's me, Artemis. It's alright."

"There's children in there…I have to protect them. It's my responsibility," Nightshade said, his eyes still wide and unmoving. His mouth moved slowly.

"Nightshade, they're okay," Artemis pressed. She suppressed the desire to pick up her partner for a hug; she didn't want to aggravate any of his wounds. "Nightshade, listen, the fight's over, you saved-"

"Got to save them…_got to_…"

"Tuber?" Artemis whispered, and she saw the Oddish blink as he heard his old name. His eyes seemed to register her for the first time.

"…Glimmer?" he whispered. Artemis smiled at the mention of her previous name. Though she didn't dare hug Nightshade, she let her hand slip down and gently caress his leaves.

"It's me, Tuber," she replied. "Listen, it's over. The kids are safe. You saved them."

"I did?" he whispered. "They're really okay?"

"That's right. They're all alive."

"Good. Good…"

He laid there in silence. All around them, the pitter-patter of rain hitting trees, grass, and stone made noises like a tender song. It was soothing.

"Tuber?" Artemis ventured, breaking the silence. "Tuber, I know a lot has changed from the time before, but could you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Could you smile, like you used to? I've missed seeing you smile."

There was a moment were he did nothing. Then, slowly, he smiled. It looked natural on his face: warm, inviting, cheerful, spirited. It had been too long since Artemis had seen that smile.

Then it fell, as he slowly began to sob.

"Oh, Glimmer, I killed him. He's dead and it's my fault. He was my trainer, my friend-he was my brother, Glimmer, and I let him die. I let him die." He continued crying; not a full-lunged wail, or a massive stream of tears. Just slow, painful sobs.

"It's not your fault," Artemis said soothingly. "It was never your fault."

"It _is_," he continued in a voice tight with sorrow. "I was supposed to protect him, Glimmer. That was my job. That was my very reason for living. I killed him. It was me."

"It wasn't you," she said, and her voice was tight now too. "You did your best. You didn't kill him. You tried to save him. It isn't your fault."

There was a moment where neither pokemon said anything; Nightshade continued his small, intermittent sobs. "Do…do you forgive me, Glimmer?" he finally whispered.

She smiled. "I do."

"Do you think _he_ will forgive me?"

"I know he will."

Nightshade sniffed, and then he was smiling again. "Thank you," he said, and then he closed his eyes, finally slipping unconscious. Artemis sat there with him; she didn't say anything more, and let the rain wash away the tears on both their faces.

-  
Masque stood in City Hall, his bastion. Rain beat on the glass windows and thunder echoed through the halls. The roof, clear glass panels through which the sky was clearly visible, showed clouds like a dark steely blanket.

The man had to admit: for such a small and isolated town, the city had certainly put effort into their seat of government. The chandeliers were not real crystal, but they were at least chandeliers and certainly gave off a feeling of magnificence regardless. Portraits of various mayors and city councilpersons lined the halls, and the walls were dark wood. He actually felt himself growing fond of the place!

Giving Dan the slip had been easy enough. Goading the boy and racing through the city streets was enjoyable at first, but quickly became tiresome. Ah, well-Masque had easily ducked away and quickly made his way back to his base of operations. How long would the boy search the streets aimlessly before realizing his target had returned back home long before?

_As long as I'm here,_ he thought, _I might as well check up on Luke. Here's hoping the little gadgeteer is working hard._

He strode quietly though the building, towards the lone staircase in the back that led to Luke's makeshift workshop on the second floor. On the way, he passed the closet where he had stored his first few kills in this new world; his nose wrinkled when the smell of thick blood reached him. Blood stunk, and no matter how much you spilled, you never quite got used to the scent. But at the same time, the stink also lightened his heart-it reminded him of killing, one of the few things that Masque found to be reliably enjoyable.

Masque walked up the stairs, and pushed open the unassuming door to where Missy's brother was supposed to be working. Luke was seated in the middle of the floor, surrounded by scrap metal, junk, and assorted tools. Masque had previously sent a few of his pokemon out to salvage whatever they could from the surrounding buildings.

Nevertheless, Masque knew that if he really wanted the device to be done as quickly as possible, Luke had to be returned to his lab; something which was impossible at the moment. Luke's lab was at his house, which was likely where his family was hiding out. If Luke were to be reunited with his family, they'd try to talk him out of working with Masque-and if pokemon were sent to the boy's home to retrieve materials, the parents might die and then Luke would almost certainly refuse to build the machine. Quite the conundrum.

Luke was surrounded by tools and scraps, but not a single piece looked as though it had been touched. The red-haired young man was quivering slightly.

"What's going on?" Masque asked. He said it calmly-no need to rile up his puppet-but with significant bite in his voice as well. "You're supposed to be working. I thought we had a _deal_."

"The screams and cries…" Luke said in a wavering voice. "They started and I couldn't get them out of my head, even when they faded. I can't stop hearing them. What's happening to this town…?" The young man turned and Masque saw that his face was hollow and broken. He had reached that level of shock where tears and crying were completely eschewed; his face was drier than death. He was pale, very pale, and shaking. His eyes were distant and unstaring. "What's happening? What have you done?"

"I? I have done nothing," Masque said, this time with impatience. He had no time to allow useless sentimentality to disrupt his schedule. "I told you-the faster you work, the sooner I'll leave. And yet you have sat there, useless. All the people who have died, whose lives have been ruined between our deal and this moment-they are your fault. _Yours!_ Those hard-working, adept hands of yours have been idle this whole time, and people have died because you can't be pressed to save them. If you want the screaming to stop, then _get to work._"

"M-my fault?" Luke whispered as his trembling became much more pronounced. "Because I haven't been working? My fault…my fault…" The redhead turned around, facing away from the door. His right hand shakily gripped a wrench while his left pulled what appeared to be an old engine near him. He slowly lowered the wrench and began tinkering with the engine. Masque shut the door, silently fuming. So much time-wasted!

However, as he returned to the ground floor, Masque's mood lightened as he recalled that no matter how fast the boy worked, nobody in the city would be saved. It would take weeks to make the machine even if Luke worked at his fastest, and Masque could only hide out in town for perhaps a day or two more before leaving; any longer, and the outside world would notice that no word had come in or out of the place. Luckily, two days was likely to be more than enough time for his pokemon to finish off most of the populace. Then, Masque would skip town, dragging Luke and his semi-completed machine along for the ride.

Masque couldn't help but imagine the sight that would greet the first outsider to come into the small town after he was done with it. They would be greeted by devastation; burned trees and houses, corpses in the streets, and everything would be awash with the scent of blood and rot. The few survivors would stagger out of wherever they had been hiding, shellshocked and weeping, and spin stories of god-like monsters that acted as engines of death. That image dominated his mind, and it made him smile. By the time he reached the closet containing the corpses, he very nearly had a spring in his step.

As Masque passed merrily past the closet, a feeling of sudden foreboding overcame him. _Curious,_ he thought, trying to shake off the feeling. _Quite curious._

However, the feeling didn't leave, and as Masque returned to the portrait hall his heart began to quicken; small bursts of fear shot through him. _What is happening?_ he thought, trying to stay cool and rational amidst the sudden fear. _What is this feeling? I feel as though something is coming…_

Just as he reached the center of the portrait hall, one of the wide windows at the far end shattered.

The moment Missy's brain clicked, she knew what she had to do. Even while still running from the Scyther, she began formulating a plan. In order for it to work, she had to prey on the Scyther's biggest weakness, the one thing that had let her survive their last two confrontations: his rage.

As she raced down the slick streets, she saw a parked car on the roadside. She raced towards it and slid underneath, ducking to safety. The Scyther arrived soon after. He wiggled his blade under the vehicle, seeking his opponent, but Missy easily avoided his blind attempts to reach her. The blade withdrew, and his feet became visible, pacing back and forth madly on the street.

"Hide while you can, foolish one," he said venomously. "You can't crouch there forever. And when you come out, my blade will be waiting."

By this time Missy had easily regained the small amount of energy she had lost earlier. She was a human in mind and soul, but her body was a pokemon's, and pokemon were made of stronger stuff than humans. "How it must sting to be you," she taunted, hoping to rile him up into the same blind fury that had been his doom before. "To be such a useless pokemon."

"Useless? You dare say that to me?" Missy's rival hissed in a voice laced with hatred. "You, who cowers beneath a shield even as we speak? You, who has never done anything but run or hide? You, who-"

"I know which pokemon Masque really trusts: the one he relied on to get him out of prison. The Hypno." The Bug-type fell silent. "Your master trusted him over you."

"That," the Scyther said after a delay, "has a remarkably simple answer. The Hypno's abilities were special-no, not special, he is _not_ better than I am-they were just…just better suited for that particular situation."

"Really?" Missy responded, trying hard to keep the momentum she had from disappearing. "Do you honestly think you couldn't have handled it?"

"I-"

"You know you could have," Missy pressed, not letting him speak. The rain drumming against the car somehow gave her assurance. She felt reckless, daredevil; if her plan failed, she would likely die. But her plan's victory had little difference. "Didn't you brag to me when we first met that you have killed humans and pokemon in abundance? That uncountable numbers had fled from you in terror? You could have broken in there handily, and killed Masque's oppressors before they knew what was happening. But you didn't-because Masque doesn't value you like you want him to. To him, you're just a tool, and not a particularly useful one at that. To him you're just a rusted, dull, blunt-"

She was cut off by a screeching sound. The Scyther was dragging his blade along the top of the car. "Lord Masque thinks highly of me," he said, and his voice had a wild and desperate edge to it; "more highly than anyone or anything else! How dare you say that? Get out from under there so I can _rip you to pieces!_"

"Masque thinks you're garbage," Missy said, "and do you know why? Because of _me._ For all your claims to be invincible, for all your bragging and pride, I've beaten you twice." The Scyther did not make a single sound. Missy pictured him standing in silence, fuming. "That's why you searched me out in this rain; not for revenge, but to prove to yourself that I'm not better than you. My victories over you eat you alive, and you know it. And even if you do kill me, even if I'm dead and gone, your damaged, imperfect blade will always be there: an eternal reminder of my triumph over you."

The Scyther roared ferociously, and suddenly a torrent of powerful blows rang as Masque's pokemon struck the car repeatedly. Missy wriggled out from under the car opposite of where he was standing and raced away, hoping that when he noticed she had slipped under his nose, his rage would be incited even further.

A primal shriek a few moments seemed to confirm her anticipations. The buzzing of his wings rang behind her. She didn't dare glance behind her; she now needed to dedicate every second to staying abreast of her rival.

The Scyther raged behind her. "Those were not triumphs! You are a weak trickster, a useless coward with nothing but empty claims! _You have never triumphed over me!_"

Missy sped as fast as she was able, but the Scyther still slowly gained on her. It was clear that every second she spent in the open on the streets was allowing him to catch up. She ducked into an alley, hoping the small space would restrict the Bug-type's movements enough to allow her to regain distance. Ahead of her was a soggy pile of boxes and trash; she was at the top within a few leaps, and she hit the ground soon after, continuing her dash. Soon afterwards a mighty crash met her ears. Despite her need to keep looking forward, Missy couldn't help but turn her head.

In his rage, the Scyther had not bothered trying to avoid the obstacle, instead barreling through it. He swung wildly at anything that got in his way, his blades cleaving through trash and refuse. When he caught sight of her looking at him as she ran, he snarled. "You're dead, weakling, _dead!_"

Missy cleared the alleyway and quickly raced along the streets. She was nearing the center of town; City Hall, the place the Hypno had said was Masque's hideout, was close. Behind her the Scyther was roaring obscenities and threats in a furious voice; from the sounds that reached her ears, he was striking out at anything that he got near to as he chased her. He was positively blind with rage. Perfect.

As City Hall loomed into view, Missy's heart rose as she realized that her plan was close to being realized-and her soul fluttered as she realized just how much peril she would be putting herself in.

As she got closer to Masque's new base of operations, Missy's paw hit a particularly slick part of the ground, and she stumbled. It was only for a moment, but that was all the Scyther needed to gain ground to be within striking distance.

"You're mine now, whelp!" he snarled, his blades reaching out. As Missy turned to face her opponent, she instinctively ducked, hoping to use her small size to her advantage. The Scyther's first swipe barely missed as she crouched low against the ground, and before he could make a second swipe, she sprung upwards. Her skull smacked into his face, and he fell back, slightly dazed. She kicked her hind paws off of his torso, and hurtled through the air towards City Hall.

Missy hit the ground running, but behind her the whirring of her enemy's wings was close. She heard the sounds of the blades slicing through air and rain, mere centimeters behind her tail. She sped onwards, as City Hall loomed into view. Fifty feet. Forty feet. Thirty. Twenty. Ten…

She launched herself off the ground, closing her eyes and lowering her head, letting her skull take most of the impact. She smashed through the wide window, and shards of glass and rain flew into the portrait hall. Before Missy landed she saw her target: Masque was standing there, taken aback, mere feet from the window. So, this was where it ended: she would not have to search the building for her foe.

The second that Missy's feet touched the ground, she quickly sped down the dark wood of the portrait hall; chandeliers glimmered above her, and portraits shot past as a blur. Behind her, she heard the whirr of the Scyther's wings and his enraged roar. As she approached Masque he took a step back in shock, and she leapt off the floor, catching herself on his coat with her fangs and claws; startled, the man tried to push her off, but he was only able to try once before the Scyther was within striking distance.

_I'm about to kill somebody,_ Missy thought as the berserk Bug-type approached. Immediately after, another struck her. _I'm about to die._ The former frightened her more than the latter.

As the Bug-type lunged towards him, Masque's heart beat a tattoo in his chest from sheer terror. "No," he shrieked as his death raced to meet him, "no, wait-"

The Scyther fell upon them. His blades were like a hurricane, lashing out with terrible speed. Blows lanced Missy's body again and again and again as he howled madly, so lost in his fury that he did not even recognize his own master. As he finished his wild assault, Missy and Masque collapsed to the floor of the portrait hall, each sporting a storm of deep gashes.

"I did it!" The Scyther screamed in triumph. "I did it! I…I..." As the rage left him, the true impact of what he had just done struck Masque's chief henchman into horror. Masque was there, lying on the floor in a growing pool of blood.

"L-Lord Masque? _Lord Masque!_" shrieked the Scyther as he rushed to his fallen master's side. Masque's once-fine clothes were mangled with an uncountable number of tears, and blood poured onto the floor around him. His face was bare; the pearl mask was cloven in two, the pieces lying near Masque's head. One of the incisions cut right across Masque's throat; the man made weak noises as his increasingly pale face gazed upwards in disbelief.

As the Scyther knelt over the dying human, the man's eyes widened in terror as he stared past the Scyther at something unseen. "N-No," he sputtered through a blood-filled mouth. "This can't be…I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! S-Spare me…_**spare me!**_" He went limp, and fell into death.

The Scyther trembled, his mind nearly shattered by the realization that he had killed his master. "I never meant…Lord Masque, I…" He was interrupted by the sound of hooves hitting the wood floor behind him. The Scyther turned in a daze, and saw Ruby standing near the smashed-open window. The Ponyta's eyes were staring at Missy in shock.

Ruby turned her gaze to the Scyther, and her eyes tightened in fury as she saw the red stains on the Bug-type's blades. "What did you do?" she said angrily. "What did you do to her?"

Ruby charged the Scyther at full gallop, wreathing herself in flame. The Bug-type tried to dodge, but his mind was so paralyzed by shock that he only barely managed to make it in time. As he flew over her, however, Ruby caught him with a kick from her rear hooves. The Scyther spun wildly, careening into the wall of the portrait hall.

As he struggled to stand up, Ruby raced forward and smashed into him with a powerful headbutt. The Bug-type tried to retaliate with a swipe from his blade, but Ruby easily avoided it by taking a short hop backwards. The Ponyta's mane flared as she let loose a devastating stream of fire. With confusion and shock numbing his mind and his weakness to the Fire-type, Masque's favored pokemon quickly succumbed to the attack.

Ruby did not let up the blaze even when he collapsed, however, and continued torching the pokemon for several seconds. When she finally let up and turned away, the charred, blackened thing slumped against the wall was barely recognizable as something that had once been alive.

The Ponyta approached the silvery Eevee with tears forming in the corner of her eyes, but as she nuzzled Missy's body, the Eevee stirred, and Missy's eyes opened a sliver.

"R-Ruby…?" She murmured in a weak voice. "You're here…?"

"You're alive," Ruby said in a sob, "Oh, Arceus, you're alive."

"F-For now, anyway," Missy said with a wavering smile. Ruby tried to ignore the crimson patches staining her friend's silvery fur. Thunder rang in the sky above. Ruby felt the tears pouring out of her eyes, now.

"Don't talk like that," Ruby said in a voice strained by sorrow. "Don't talk like you're going to…to…" She broke off, crying.

"Ruby," Missy whispered; it hurt to do anything more than whisper. "Thanks…for putting up with me."

"D-Don't say that," Ruby said in a wail. "Don't…don't…" She cut off and took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you before, Missy. And…and I always believed your story, even from the beginning."

Missy didn't respond; her eyes were closed, and her breathing sounded haggard.

The doors burst open. Dan stood there, silhouetted by rain and lightning. "Masque," he said into the hall, "I…" Dan trailed off as his eyes took in the scene. The shattered window, the scorched corpse of the Scyther, Masque lying dead on the ground, and his two pokemon.

"Storm? Oh, God, Storm!"

Dan raced to his pokemon and knelt near them. He gently scooped up Missy's body, looking down at her intently.

"I-It'll be okay, Storm…pokemon are made of stronger stuff than humans, after all…you can live through this!"

Missy opened her eyes and saw Dan staring down at her intently; above him was the glass roof of City Hall. Through the glass she saw gray clouds, distorted by the running rain.

And then it happened.

The sensation Missy had experienced before in the Hypno's visions visited her. Her body tingled and lit up; it changed into a form she had almost forgotten the feeling of. She was human again. Dan's poke ball, the one she had been caught in, made a small whirring noise as it stopped working.

"Wh-What...?" Dan said in shock. "What's going on? What's-Missy?"

Missy smiled at him. "Dan…I'm so happy I finally have the chance to talk to you…even when I thought I'd be stuck like that forever, it made me happy to think that you and I would always be…side by side…" She exhaled weakly, trailing off, and closed her eyes.

Dan knelt there, trembling; the tears running down his face put the rainy skies above to shame. After a few seconds, he looked at Ruby, who was also weeping. "Was she really Storm this whole time?" He asked. Ruby gave a tearful nod in response. Dan sobbed, cradling Missy against him. "Stupid…I'm so stupid…" he whispered. Above, rain and lightning finally began to diminish as the storm drifted on…

When Missy opened her eyes, she felt blinded; she quickly shut them again. _Where am I?_ she thought. The overwhelming brightness of her new locale confused her. She remembered being wounded by the Scyther, and transforming in Dan's arms. _The bright place, and my wounds…am I in heaven?_ Just as she thought that, sensations reached her; Missy felt dull aches and pains from all over her body. At the same time, she became aware of another feeling: soft sheets on her skin…

_Wait, skin?_ Missy opened her eyes, squinting as the brightness that assaulted her eyes; she wriggled her hand out to hold in front of her face. As her vision cleared, Missy's breath left her body as she caught sight of her human hand. She tentatively wiggled the fingers, barely daring to hope that she was both human and alive. Missy realized that she was in a soft bed in a clean room with lots of medical equipment in it; the overpowering shine of the sun beamed through a window.

"Oh, you're awake, eh!" Missy turned her head to meet the familiar voice. Armor was beaming not far away from her bed; near him the other four pokemon were all huddled together, sleeping.

"I was on watch duty while we waited for you to wake up, eh," Armor said good-naturedly. "Oh, I'm supposed to wake them. Hold up, eh. HEY, YOU LOT! SHE'S AWAKE!"

The other pokemon stirred, but eagerly roused themselves when they realized Missy was awake. "You're-finally-back-YAY!" "Good to see you, Missy." "Heh, looks like I'll have to put up with you a while longer, little girl." "You should have seen me, I took down a Dragonite! Really!"

"What's this?" Missy said, bewildered. "Everyone is-oof!" She winced; trying to rise from her bed had sent sharp bursts of pain rocketing through her body. She fell back onto the mattress, blushing slightly. "Looks like I'm not all better yet," she said with a small grin.

"Yeah, you were sliced up something awful, eh," Armor said. "They brought you to a hospital but everyone thought you'd die, but then they realized that your body was handling your wounds a lot better than a human body normally would. I guess you've kept the healing ability from when you were a pokemon; that helped you survive, eh, at least until the staff here could treat you."

"Masque thankfully spared the hospital from the assault," Nightshade said. "I don't know why, but I suspect he wanted somebody around to treat him in case he was injured."

"So I kept my pokemon healing, and that's what saved me?" Missy murmured, her brows furrowed in thought. "Did I keep any other traits from being an Eevee?" She pictured herself walking around with a giant tail.

"Well," Nightshade responded, "I can think of at least one ability you kept."

"Really? What?"

"You can understand us, obviously."

Missy felt herself blushing again. She was so used to being able to understand her friends' speech that she hadn't noticed. She opened her mouth to come up with a sarcastic retort, but stopped when she saw something she had only seen a few times before-Nightshade smiling. And this wasn't the sarcastic, thin half-grin she had seen before; it looked like it belonged there, and it was warm and brotherly.

"Heh, it's so weird to see you as a genuine human, Missy," he said, still smiling. "I mean, I never doubted your story, but I'd always known you as an Eevee. It's kind of disconcerting…"

"Yeah," Missy replied, "I'm just glad I'm back to normal…well, more or less." She raised her hand to her face to study it once more. She hadn't noticed the first time, but her nails were slightly longer than she usually kept them, and they tapered into small but still noticeable points. _Looks like I kept some other souvenirs from my time as an Eevee,_ Missy thought. There was a long, semi-healed cut on her arm; leftover from the Scyther's attack, no doubt. It seemed as though she had kept her wounds upon regaining her body as well.

"Anybody have a mirror or something? I want to see my face," she said.

"Yeah," responded Ruby, "the hospital staff left one in here; they thought you'd be interested in seeing what you look like now. Artemis, you want to grab it?"

"Sure-no-problem!" The energetic Electabuzz raced up to Missy's bed, handing her a small hand mirror with a big smile.

Missy grabbed the mirror and held it up to her face, looking tentatively at the glass. A familiar face stared back. It resembled the face she had had before, only aged a few months. Soft skin, a thin mouth, and blue eyes with long eyelashes. There were changes, however: before her journey in the pokemon world her hair had been dark, nearly black. Now it was the same stormy gray that her fur as an Eevee had been. She saw that her left ear, the same one that had been mangled by the Scyther, sported heavy scarring and looked very beat up.

She opened her mouth, examining her teeth in the glass. Like her fingernails, her canine teeth were slightly longer and certainly sharper than they had been before. As she handed the mirror back to Artemis, Missy realized that just as she had not noticed that she could still understand pokemon speech, she had also not taken into account the fact that her eyesight and hearing seemed to be identical to when she had been an Eevee; certainly, her senses were better than they had been before she left.

_Still not quite human,_ Missy thought ruefully. _But…if I still get to understand my friends, it's worth it._

"Hey," Armor said, "you wouldn't believe what happened to all of us-you remember that Alakazam, eh? Well after it tossed you into the river he and I took a little swim as well, eh, and I beat it! But then one of those big rocks smacked into me. Not fun, eh."

"One of those giant rocks hit you? Are you all right?" Armor gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, but I was out for a while, eh, let me tell you. I managed to survive 'cause my body was mostly liquefied 'cause I'd been submerged for a while. When I came to, I was safe inside my pokeball; Mr. Dan had found me on the side of the river after the fight was over."

"In your pokeball? They didn't try and treat you or anything?"

"Of course not," Ruby said. "The doctors here don't know how to treat pokemon. And as for what happened to the rest of us, Nemo and I got into a tussle with a Dragonite before I decided to pay City Hall a visit-well, you know what happened there. Nightshade and Artemis apparently got into a large fight protecting a school."

"A school? Did all the kids make it through safe?"

"Yes," Nightshade said softly, interrupting Ruby. "Yes, they did."

"Wow," Missy said, "that all sounds amazing! You'll have to tell me about it, I bet I won't have much else to do until I'm well enough to get out of this bed…"

Missy trailed off as the door to her room opened. A small woman wearing a suit with a weathered face and short-cut gray hair stepped into her room. _Strange,_ thought Missy, _she looks familiar for some reason, but I can't place her…_

"Oh," she said in surprise as recognition enlightened her mind, "M-Ms. Mayor! What are you doing here?"

The Mayor smiled. "I was just stopping by to visit everyone here-and what do you know, but our town's heroine has made a recovery. Marvelous."

"H-heroine?"

"Naturally. Just about everyone in town has heard the story about how the strange creature that nearly sacrificed its life to bring down the ringleaders of that unfortunate event was really one of our own citizens."

"Wait, _everyone_ knows?" Missy was in a panic. "Does that mean that government agents are waiting to kidnap me once I get better?"

"No, no," the Mayor said with a chuckle. "Only townsfolk. We've decided to keep the whole affair secret-to protect you, of course, but also these fine creatures." She gestured to the pokemon. "We understand that not all of these creatures bore us ill will. The testimony of several children whose lives were saved by two of your compatriots was enough to convince most of the citizens.

"Of course, we have to account for the destruction somehow-we'll put the blame on the storm, making sure to exaggerate the degree that the river was swollen by the rain. A flood can be quite the destructive thing."

"And the…deaths? How are we going to explain those?"

The Mayor's face tightened. She bent her head and closed her eyes, a brief testament to those killed. "Wild animals," she said sorrowfully. "Marauding creatures driven into town by the floodwaters."

There was a short moment of uncomfortable silence. "What happened after Masque died?" Missy asked. "Surely that didn't incapacitate his pokemon."

"Actually," the Mayor said, "that monster of a man seemed to possess strange powers. When he was killed, a good deal of the creatures under his command stopped their rampaging as their minds became their own again. Not all, certainly, but the vast majority. Once only a handful were left still rampaging, it was easy for police and the like to subdue the rest. Dan Fawcett gathered all of that 'Masque' fellow's pokemon in strange orbs that he took from the dead man.

"Of course, we can't keep them bound in those things forever. Luke is building a machine, and with it Dan will send back the creatures to the world they came from. All except these five here."

"Luke? Is he okay? Did Masque do something to him?"

"Your brother was quite shaken, but appears to be fine now. His kidnapper wanted him to build a machine for him, I haven't quite worked out the reasons why-but your brother plans to finish the machine to send the creatures home. Then, it will be destroyed.

"…you'll be pleased to know that he's been visiting you daily, as have your parents. You probably don't know, as you've been out since before the storm broke."

"Thanks for telling me, Ms. Mayor," Missy said. She felt calmer, somehow, now that she knew what had happened. "And thanks for stopping by to visit."

The graying woman smiled. "Anytime. You are a real heroine, Melissa; a champion of your friends and neighbors. Wherever life takes you, don't forget that."

She made a respectful bow and left the room.

Missy received other visitors that day; her brother, and her parents, and even school friends who were quick to gush about how different she looked and how amazing her adventure must have been. The pokemon never left her side.

Dan never made an appearance.

That night, in the depths of her dreams, Missy found herself in a familiar location. Endless plains of mist greeted her, and in the far-off distance, there was the same black pillar she had seen in Pokemon Tower. Strangely, she didn't feel paralyzed with fear as she had before. She took a step forward and suddenly everything changed; she was an Eevee again and the blackness had become a skeleton holding a scythe. Another step and she was a small girl, while the being opposite her took the form of the statue of the deathly angel from the Tower. One more step, and Missy found that she was in the same form from the hospital room, standing opposite a smiling old man decked in old-fashioned clothing: a bowler hat, a cane, and glasses.

"Welcome, Missy," he said charmingly. "We meet again. I was glad to see that you followed my advice when leaping dimensions to your world."

"You..." Missy said, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're who I met before, in the Tower, right?"

"Correct. I suppose you need a name to call me by-Ghost-type pokemon like to call me 'Mr. Shadow'. A little too dark for my liking, but it'll do for now."

"You sound and look different than before," Missy said. "Before, you were a frightening column of darkness that spoke in a whispering voice. Now, you're just…an old man."

Mr. Shadow chuckled merrily. "I have not changed. Rather, your perception of me has changed. My form depends on the person I am addressing; before, you were frightened and desperate, and my shape mimicked that. It's been a short while since then, but you've made some important decisions; you were ready to lay your life on the line. You have no reason to be scared anymore."

"So, your shape depends on my state of mind?"

"And other things as well, like personality and the sort of life one has lived. When I appeared before Masque to take him away, the creature he saw me as was quite frightening indeed-a reflection of his own monstrosity. In the end, I'd say this form of me you see is very close to what I envision myself as. Not identical, but close."

"When you appeared to take Masque…?" Missy remembered; the vicious man, in his dying moments, had cried out in fear at something unseen. She shuddered slightly. "So, you really are Death, then." It was not a question.

"Well, yes and no. I am Death, in a way, and yet I am also something else. Even I shall die someday…and yet death will continue without me."

"I don't understand."

"Naturally. As I told you before, there are many things in this world that do not make sense, and I am one of them." The old man gave her a warm smile. "Why bother standing here like this? Let us walk." He turned and strolled away into the mist, which seemed to catch him in an almost loving embrace.

Missy hurried after him. They walked in silence. Finally, Missy spoke up. "Um, Mr. Shadow?"

"Speak freely, child."

"Am I dead?"

He laughed. "No. Not yet. Certainly not yet. Do you have another query?"

"Before, you told me that I'd only become human if I died. That fact was also in the visions the Hypno showed me. I'm not complaining, I'm very glad…but how did I regain my body ?"

"Firstly, I never said that your death would reunite you with your original form; I _implied_. Secondly, that is not your original form."

"It-it isn't?"

Mr. Shadow stopped walking and faced his guest. "Before your little jaunt in Kanto," he said, "did you have these?" He at her fingers with his cane, singling out Missy's new claw-like nails. "Was your hair always the color it is now? No. It's true that if you had died, you would have become human. You very nearly died, so you very nearly became human-but kept a few traits from your pokemon self. You may not have long ears, or fur, or a tail, but the differences you _do_ have are no less great.

"The Hypno knew this. It saw in the void myriad lives you might have lived; among those it saw lives where you became what you are now. It refrained from showing you visions of those lives, because those might have given you hope."

"So," Missy said quietly, "I'm not fully human?" She stared at her pointed fingernails. _Of course not. I can heal. I can understand pokemon. I have vision and hearing unlike anything any other human has ever possessed. Of course I'm not human._

"Your new form is mostly human, it is true," Mr. Shadow said kindly. "But there is a mixture of pokemon in there as well. But perhaps that bit of you was always inside, and your recent journey merely brought it to the fore."

"Is that what you're saying? That I was always part-pokemon; if not in body, then in my soul?"

"I say nothing. I am merely illuminating the possibility. In the end, the only person who can decide what you are is _you_, child."

Missy smiled. "Well, thanks for the illumination. I think this current body of mine is just fine. And I also think no matter what form I take, I'll always be me inside."

Mr. Shadow smiled back. "You are something special, child. It'd do for you to remember that. I suppose it's time for you to go back."

With that the mist began swirling around Missy, forming a barrier between her and Mr. Shadow. She suddenly became aware of new sensations; of sheets on her skin, and a pillow beneath her head. She struggled not to wake up.

"One more question," she said. "Just one more. Is this actually happening? Or am I dreaming?"

Mr. Shadow tipped his bowler hat. "I would tell you that it is real, except that my word alone does not guarantee something is true. For that, you'll have to discover for yourself what the truth is."

Missy opened her eyes. She was in her hospital bed; all around her in the room, the pokemon were snoozing. It was early morning.

She yawned; she still felt incredibly drowsy and the aches from her wounds made her feel tender. Suddenly, she realized her door was open just a crack; there was a shadow of a person hovering in the door's crack.

"Come in," Missy said. The door slowly opened, and a morose-looking Dan shuffled into the hospital room.

"I-I'm sorry," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I didn't want to wake you up. I've been by to see you, to apologize, but I couldn't bring myself to do it when you were awake. I didn't want that confrontation."

Missy blinked in shock. She raised herself slightly using her elbows, so that she could see Dan more evenly. "To apologize? What for?"

"For-for being a stupid, short-sighted idiot. For dragging you all over, for putting you in danger and forcing you fight, for making you sleep on cushions and eat out of a dish…"

His fists were shaking. It was clear that Dan had sunk deep into a pit of self-loathing. "Come here," Missy said, "closer. So I can speak with you."

Dan hesitated, and then with a few short steps he was at Missy's bedside. She smiled up at him. "I'm not angry," she said. "You didn't know. You acted nice and thoughtful to me and the other pokemon as well. You have your flaws, sure, but even with them I think you're smart, and brave, and wonderful."

Dan shook his head. "You can't mean that. Not after what I did to you. You can't. I'm such a-"

"Dan, don't talk about yourself like this!"

"But-"

He was close to her bedside, so she grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips touched, and Dan's face was pure surprise; Missy felt as though she had a whole forest's worth of butterflies dancing inside her.

She pulled her lips away from his and smiled at him. "Just shut up, Dan, okay? I don't hate you."

He blinked, and before he could do anything else, she pulled him in again. Their second kiss was longer…until it was shattered by a goofy voice.

"Woo-_hoo_, eh?" Missy dropped away from Dan, nearly blushing crimson as her head hit the pillow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Armor beaming at her and Dan. Ruby appeared to be sleeping, but one eye was open a sliver, and her mouth hid the tiniest of smiles. Artemis also looked to be dozing, her chest even rhythmically rising up and down, but the Electabuzz was wearing a huge grin that certainly hadn't been there when Missy had first woken up.

_Well,_ Missy thought ruefully, _at least it was just my friends who saw. I can live with that._

Dan straightened; though he was obviously embarrassed, Missy thought it was due more to just the general situation than realizing that the pokemon had watched. "I'll just be going now," he said, excusing himself, but as he turned away Missy caught his hand in hers.

"Wait," she said, "please." She didn't say anything more, but she didn't have to. Dan gave a brief, silent nod and pulled up a chair near her bed, his hand still grasping hers.

They didn't say anything. Missy just sat there, feeling his hand in hers, listening to the breathing of her pokemon friends, watching the morning sun light up her room. Slowly, drowsiness crept up on her.

Missy had never felt more content. She closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.

THE END


End file.
